The social, political, and economic arrangements of a society can place some people in a privileged position relative to others, particularly with respect to important goods, like institutional representation, economic resources, and even less tangible goods like “respect” and “welfare”. Since societal arrangements are not always brought into reflective awareness, it is unsurprising when even well meaning and well-intentioned members of privileged groups are unaware of how they may benefit from social arrangements relative to members of other groups. Many times have we experienced Tamil/Des(h)i men unable and unwilling to recognize the privilege they hold vis-à-vis Tamil/Des(h)i women in Eelam, South Asia, its diasporas and beyond. Sometimes they may well be aware of some of the difficulties faced by Tamil/Des(hi) women. Sometimes they may even work for the betterment of women in the island, South Asia and beyond, but this all too often doesn’t translate into wider acknowledgment of the privilege centred around their male identity and the impact that patriarchal systems have on the every day lives of Tamil/Des(h)i women. The denial of these privileges is widespread. Often we find Tamil/Des(h)i men relativising the inequalities felt by Tamil/Des(h)i women, dismissing the undercurrent of patriarchy that produces systemic and sociocultural inequalities which continue to haunt the island, South Asia and its diasporas. Sinthujan Varatharajah and co !
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 18:44:33 +0000
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