Sita's Daughters: Coming Out of Purdah: The Rajput Women of Khalapur Revisited

Sita's Daughters vividly recounts the dramatic changes in role and status experienced by Rhajput cast women in the Indian village of Khalapur between 1955 and 1975. In the 20 years between her now-classic original field study and her follow-up with the same families, Leigh Minturn witnessed a significant decline in the women's observance of a complex system of customs collectively called purdah, which includes the wearing of veils, silence in the presence of senior men and women, the adoption of subservient postures when speaking to men, and the separation of husbands and wives. This work is unprecedented in its depth, scope, and exposition of the intimate details of the lives of Indian women.