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About Items used in research for 'Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture' by Gaiutra D. Bahadur
Gaiutra D. Bahadur conducted extensive research in various archives as she created the ground-breaking narrative Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture.
The research involved collecting over 6,000 items from a range of sources including 19th century colonial records and contemporary sources.
She explained that “ The existing archives that document indenture contain biases and elisions. I found a rich paper trail in India Office and Colonial Office records in London: statistical reports and diaries by captains and surgeons aboard the ships that transported the indentured; transcripts of inquiries into uprisings on the plantations; confidential dossiers on overseers who slept with Indian women. These documents allowed me, partially, to reconstruct the texture of the women’s lives.” (“Gaiutra Bahadur: 'How could I write about women whose existence is barely acknowledged?', Guardian UK, June 14 2016)
Gaiutra D. Bahadur has donated these images to the Guyana Gender Hub archive. Her hand is visible in many of the images, holding open documents which are closed to many of the subjects in them.
The sharing of these items on the Guyana Gender Hub archive is a tribute to the labour which many have done in opening up access to the archives.
Difficult content in these items
The Guyana Gender Hub recognises that the expressions used in some of these items reflect the prejudices and oppressive sentiments of the authors in the colonial historical context. Some readers could find these expressions difficult or objectionable.
We believe that the preservation and dissemination of the historical record is a part of the decolonising work needed for gender equality and gender justice.
If you would like to discuss any of the items in this sub-collection, please contact :
Christine Samwaroo
Salima Bacchus-Hinds
Vidyaratha Kissoon