Pineapples and Oranges, Brahmins and Shudras: Periyar Feminists and Narratives of Gender and Regional Identity in South India

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Keywords: gender, feminism, development, Dravidian Social MovementsPineapples and Oranges, the title of this paper, is the metaphor for caste difference that feminists(1) employed in a consciousness raising activity at the Periyar Polytechnic school for girls in Tamil Nadu, south India. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the persistence of caste difference, and the shared experiences of women who followed Hindu practices. The activity was designed for the mostly lower, Backward Caste(2) teachers and staff who work at the school. Women were seated in a circle and arbitrarily designated in sequence as apples, bananas or oranges. These fruits correspond to Brahmins, Kshatryias, Vaiyshas and Shudras, the four Varna which hierarchically classify people within the Hindu caste system. The women were asked to stand up and move to distinguish whom they could marry and with whom they would normally socialize. In response, pineapples, representing Brahmins, congregated at one portion

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