Narrating the Margins: Dalit Testimonios and Political Consciousness in Bama’s Sangati

This article critically examines the intersecting oppressions of caste, class, and gender experienced by Paraiya Dalit women in Bama’s Sangati (1994). Through a Dalit feminist lens, the study explores how Bama radicalizes the notion of Dalit consciousness by centering the lived experiences of Dalit women and challenging dominant narrative forms that often erase or marginalize Dalit subjectivities. Like Karukku and Vanmam, Sangati adopts the testimonial narrative (testimonio) as a political and literary mode to give collective voice to Dalit struggles and identity. The text portrays the double marginalization faced by Dalit women– not only as members of an oppressed caste but also as gendered subjects within a patriarchal order. This article highlights how Bama’s narrative articulates a counter-hegemonic discourse that both documents and resists systemic dehumanization. It underscores the agency of Dalit women who assert their rights, subjectivity, and humanity, while fostering a collective political consciousness aimed at social transformation.