Death by Fire : Sati, Dowry Death and Female Infanticide in Modern India - Softcover

Mala Sen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0753813351 ISBN 13: 9780753813355

Publisher: Phoenix Paperbacks, 2002

Synopsis

The ancient practice of sati - the self-immolation of a woman on her husband's funeral pyre - was outlawed by the British administration in India in 1829. Since Independence, the practice was widely believed to have died out. The recent fate of a young woman, Roop Kanwar, has changed that perception. This book is part journey through the India that the author knows and loves, part exploration of the enigma that India still remains in the minds of many. Starting with Roop Kanwar, Sen enters the worlds of three women: a goddess, a burned bride, and a murderess, and shows how, in this society in which ancient and modern apparently comfortably co-exist, there is increasingly cause for real alarm. She creates an image of a state in which political turmoil is constantly at the surface, and in which the role of women is being constantly redefined.

About this title

About the Author:

Mala Sen was born in Bombay, but has spent most of her life in England. She lives in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Phoenix Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0753813351
• ISBN 13: 9780753813355
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288