The Silence That Speaks : Short Stories by Indian Muslim Women

Written in different languages, modes and forms, the stories in this collection deal with identity, domesticity, religion, desires, love, rebellion, culture, society, rebellion, and freedom. Stories, in the collection, discreetly question the old values, gender relations and debunk the stereotyped identity of Muslim womanhood.

This ground-breaking anthology brings together 38 short stories culled fromover a century of writing by Muslim women from colonial and postcolonialIndia. Selected from different Indian languages, it includes fascinating storiesby celebrated and emerging authors. It also excavates stories from early women''sjournals such as Tehzeeb-e-Niswan, Saogat, and Indian Ladies'' Magazine.Written in different styles, modes, and forms, the stories deconstruct culturalessentialism often involved in imagining Muslim womanhood and reflect uponthe diversity of imagined and lived experiences. They challenge sundry labels,explore intersections of identities, debunk several myths, and demonstrate howthe authors navigate the world of voices and silences. Ranging from imaginarygeographies to topographies of Muslim ghettos, most of these powerful storiesnarrate the spaces that Muslim women inhabit, and delineate their courage,desires, freedom, struggle, and myriad subjectivities.