WOMEN AND POLYANDRY IN RAWAIN-JAUNPUR

It is by far the best account of polyandry in Northern India and is perhaps thy only full-length work that focuses attention on women, with penetration and depth, in a polyandrous situation. It bears the imprint of good quality field work that shows first-hand knowledge. The writing is lucid and theoretical analyses do not detract from ethnographic reporting… Theoretical position is somewhat orthodox but it has its own merits.”
Thus reviewed, the present study takes new strides in the study of polyndry. It is the first field-based systematic account of polyndry in the hitherto unknown polyandrous tracks of Rawain-Jaunpur (Garhwal). It focuses not as much on polyandry as on the woman in polyandry—the bahundhartrika—and, on her stresses and strains. It develops a structural-comparative perspective on woman’s status in Jaunsar-Bawar and Rawain-Jaunpur and raises some crucial ethico-political issues relating to woman’s social position as bahubhartrika. It is a departure from the value-neutral functional perspective.