Experience and Identity

Women, for generations, have worked in the cashew factories of the South Indian State of Kerala from 1930 to the present. As a group, they have challenged the stereotypical view of the “Third World” women by organizing into unions, working in the formal sector, and becoming literate. These women have been a major part of the working class in Kerala, and by the end of the twentieth century, they numbered somewhere around 200,000. The historical background for this interdisciplinary study has been the “Kerala Model”, the political context of a state known for its radicalism, redistribution of resources, and high social indicators for both men and women. The analysis addresses change and continuity in material “realities”, as well as in discourses and ideologies.