Book excerpt: The author argues that 'purdah' in early-twentieth-century Bengal meant far more than secluding women behind veils and walls; it entailed an all-encompassing ideology and code of conduct based on female modesty which pervaded women's lives. Accordingly, women's political experience and participation, even if its significance can be established, needs to be deconstructed and contextualized by looking at a wider range of discourses.