Invisible on Screen, Visible in Struggle: Dalit Feminism between Media Representation and Grassroots Politics

This study is situated within the historical context of colonial and imperial legacies in India, which have significantly shaped knowledge systems, media representations, and political structures through entrenched caste and gender hierarchies. Despite the expansion of democratic and cultural spaces, Dalit women continue to face systemic marginalization, particularly in cinema, media narratives, and political participation. Addressing this gap, the study adopts Dalit feminist epistemology as its central analytical framework to critically examine how power operates across cultural and institutional domains.
Methodologically, the paper employs a qualitative and critical analytical approach, drawing on theoretical insights from Dalit feminism, intersectionality, and decolonial studies. It analyses patterns of representation in cinema and media, alongside the role of Dalit women in grassroots political movements and activism, to understand both exclusionary mechanisms and forms of resistance.
The findings reveal that dominant media and cultural industries largely reproduce stereotypes, invisibility, and narrative control, reinforcing epistemic inequality and limiting the agency of Dalit women. Simultaneously, the study highlights that Dalit women’s participation in social and political movements generates alternative discourses that challenge hegemonic knowledge systems and assert their role as active knowledge producers.
The study concludes that addressing these inequalities requires a decolonial and intersectional rethinking of representation, knowledge, and power. It emphasizes the need for inclusive media practices, equitable political engagement, and the recognition of marginalized voices as central to achieving epistemic justice.