தந்தை பெரியாரின் சமூகச் சிந்தனைகள் மற்றும் பெண்ணியப் புரட்சி : ஒரு பன்முக ஆய்வு

Social Thoughts of Thanthai Periyar and the Feminist Revolution: A Multi-faceted Study

Abstract

In the history of 20th-century India, particularly within the political and social framework of Tamil Nadu, the contribution of E.V. Ramasamy, affectionately known as Thanthai Periyar, is unparalleled. The intellectual and practical struggles he spearheaded against caste hierarchies, religious dominance, and patriarchal structures determined the socio-political direction of modern Tamil Nadu. Periyar’s fundamental objective was that society should not merely be a collection of humans, but a sphere operating on the principles of individual rights, rationalism, and equality.

This article extensively explores Periyar’s social ideologies, specifically focusing on social liberation, the feminist revolution, the Self-Respect Movement, and the radical social reforms he proposed. The core subjects of this study include the unique rights he advocated for women, property rights, education, and the transformations he brought to marriage systems. Furthermore, this research expands with precise data regarding the participation of women in the 1929 Chengalpattu Conference and the 1938 Anti-Hindi Agitation. By comparing Periyar’s feminist thoughts with global Radical Feminism theories, this article emphasizes their contemporary relevance.