ON INDIAN WOMEN AS BENEFICIARIES OF THE ARGUMENTATIVE TRADITION OF INDIAN CULTURE

The unique emergence of Indian democracy and its resilience despite all kinds of historical odds is not only the result of British influence but - to a large extent - of the well-known argumentative tradition of Indian culture itself. It is this worship of reasoned debate and dialogue that best accounts for intellectual heterodoxy and for the tolerance of religious diversity in India starting with the ancient Buddhist councils and continuing with emperors Ashoka’s and Akbar’s sponsorship and support for the dialogic mode in their society. My contention in this paper is that to this day the argumentative tradition to which Indian women have contributed substantially throughout history has insufficiently benefited them.