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History continues to largely reflect narratives of victors. South
African post-apartheid history has not escaped the risk of
distortions and omissions that come from excluding critical voices
and players in our struggle for democracy. This title steps into a
critical gap in our understanding of our evolution into a society
united in its diversity. Despite the centrality of gender equality
in our human rights based National Constitution, women in South
Africa continue to struggle to have their voices heard and their
faces seen in public affairs. Their role in the struggle for
freedom tends to be reduced to a support one despite their critical
leadership in areas where men were afraid to go such as challenging
the pass laws. Indian women are even less visible and audible given
their demographic minority and cultural invisibility. The strength
of this title lies in its focus on personal profiles of Indian
women - giving them not only space to tell their stories, but to do
so as individuals who are nested in very strong family, community
and cultural networks. Their personal narratives take the reader
into the heart, home and hopes of women often ignored in public
discourse. These narratives also take us ever so gently into a rich
cultural milieu - not just the rich smells of spices or the
glittering jewellery - but lives textured beyond cliches of
subservience and dominance. These are also narratives of resilience
of a culture that transcended the humiliation of the system of
indenture to thrive in a democracy. The social history captured in
this title will add considerably to our understanding of ourselves
as a society that draws its cultural heritage from so many parts of
the world. India's rise as an economic giant and a mature democracy
bears important lessons for us as a young democratic nation. We
have the links to tap into those lessons - positive and negative -
to inform our own development. Young women across all cultural
groups have much to learn from the affirmation of Indian culture
and its contribution to self-confidence and pride in ourselves as a
people. Too many young people are losing the cultural anchors that
should support and sustain them. Many others are focusing on
fragments of threatened cultures to perpetuate conservative
chauvinistic practices. Cultures evolve to meet the needs of
rapidly changing complex global imperatives. Creative responses are
essential to sustainability of our cultural heritage. Narratives in
this book should make us proud to be South Africans and to salute
our Indian women fellow citizens who have contributed so much to
what we are today - a democratic vibrant South Africa.
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