Emerging Sisterhood and Women’s Solidarity in Northeast Indian Fiction

Abstract

The article explores the concept of solidarity and women’s sisterhood, particularly during periods of conflict in Northeast India. It advocates for a paradigmatic revision of the conventional understandings of solidarity, which are predicated on inherent characteristics or collective experiences of oppression, towards an inclusive, action-driven concept of gendered solidarity. This envisaged form of solidarity, informed by the philosophical underpinnings of Hannah Arendt, underscores the significance of collective action, mutual assistance, and shared objectives, concurrently eschewing exclusionary tendencies and superficial moralism. The study further integrates an analysis of gender-specific responses to conflictual scenarios and an examination of solidarity as depicted in two novels, from the corpus of Northeast Indian Anglophone Fiction, Easterine Kire’s A Respectable Woman and Mitra Phukan’s The Collector’s Wife, thereby demonstrating how the redefined principles of solidarity engender resilience and empowerment amidst adversarial contexts evoked in these fictional works. Examining the female characters, the article emphasises the transformation of women’s roles from victims to active participants in the public sphere, albeit facing marginalisation post-conflict. Additionally, the article examines how gendered solidarity might be expanded from women of the same ethnic groups in the region to encompass diverse groups by utilising Hannah Arendt’s concepts of identity and solidarity. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.