Dowry Murder

Dowry Murder - the killing of a young bride whose dowry has been deemed insufficient by her groom's family - has long been thought a holdover from a system of Hindu custom fundamentally misogynistic by nature. In this learned and controversial book, Veena Oldenburg argues that dowry murder is not about dowry per se nor is it rooted in an Indian culture or caste system that encourages violence against women. Rather, dowry murder can be traced directly to the influences of the British colonial era.