Kerala’s longest-serving chief minister (CM), EK Nayanar, had once said that rape in the US was as frequent as drinking a cup of tea. The statement created uproar, but it was no surprise that many Malayalis echoed his sentiment. For America was “uncultured”, their women wore short clothes, stepped out at night, and hence, could not complain about being sexually assaulted. The idea of culture here stemmed from what we, as a society, understood — that ours is the only one that can define the word, and everyone outside is bereft of it.

But what exactly is this culture we are so eager to defend and define? Why is it almost always used to police women?

Days after a 23-year-old MBBS student was gang-raped in Durgapur, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said the survivor should not have been out at night — a familiar refrain that often follows incidents of sexual violence. To........

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