Performing Masculinities: Hindu Reform,Ascetic Celibacy,and Dalit Manhood in Colonial North India

Abstract

This article examines the construction of masculinity in early twentieth-century North India through Hindi vernacular print. Focusing on three key narratives—upper-caste Hindu masculinity in the shuddhi and sangathan movements, ascetic celibacy in the writings of Satyadev Parivrajak and representations of Dalit manhood—it explores how masculinity became a site of power, hierarchy and resistance. While dominant Hindu masculinities reinforced caste and gender norms, Dalit men redefined manhood as a mode of assertion and dignity. The study highlights masculinity’s dual role as both a hegemonic tool and a medium for subaltern dissent and egalitarian aspirations.