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Religious Symbolism, Gender, and Nationalism: The Politics of Women’s Bodies in Hindi Cinema

Joseph Reno(1),


(1) École Polytechnique
Corresponding Author

Abstract


This study examines how religious symbolism intersects with gender and nationalism in constructing women’s bodies in Hindi cinema. Focusing on Bharat Mata, sacred motherhood, female purity, sacrifice, and cultural morality, it explores how religious-cultural imaginaries contribute to ideals of Indian womanhood and national identity. Selected Hindi films are analyzed alongside feminist theories of nationalism to identify how cinema reproduces and contests these gendered meanings. Women are frequently positioned as bearers of religious-cultural morality, family honour, and national purity, while masculine authority is legitimized through narratives of protection and control. Examining religion alongside gender and cinema reveals how sacred symbolism can shape, reinforce, and potentially challenge patriarchal constructions of nationhood in contemporary India.

Keywords


Gender; Hindi Cinema; Nationalism; Religious Symbolism; Women’s Bodies

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