Dalits, encompassing all oppressed and marginalized sections exploited by India's caste system, have faced systemic discrimination. While early Dalit literature depicted collective resistance against caste prejudice, the specific suffering of Dalit women, experiencing triple marginalization based on caste, class, and gender, received less attention. Recent decades have witnessed a surge in Dalit women's writings, providing emic accounts of their oppression and subjugation across various genres. This paper focuses on Bama's *Sangati* and Sivakami's *The Grip of Change*, seminal novels that have received scholarly attention primarily concerning women's marginalization and exploitation. However, a research gap exists regarding how power operates within the social structure and the role of discursive practices in women's subjugation. This study addresses this gap by employing Foucault's concepts of disciplinary power to critically investigate the two texts and demonstrate how patriarchal power, through practices of body politics, makes the female body an active site of political struggle.

Existing scholarship on *Sangati* and *The Grip of Change* primarily focuses on the marginalization, exploitation, and oppression of women within patriarchal structures. Some studies address the double oppression faced by Dalit women due to their caste and gender. However, a significant lacuna exists in exploring how power operates within the social structure and the role of discursive practices in subjugating Dalit women. This paper aims to fill this gap by employing Foucault's framework to analyze the texts.

This paper utilizes Michel Foucault's discourse analysis as its theoretical framework. The analysis centers on Foucault's concepts of disciplinary power, docile bodies, and discourse formation. Disciplinary power, according to Foucault, operates through techniques like hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and examination, creating docile bodies that are obedient and self-regulating. Discourse, as a body of knowledge that defines normal and appropriate behavior, is a crucial tool in the subordination of subjects. The paper analyzes how these concepts manifest in *Sangati* and *The Grip of Change*, focusing on how patriarchal structures use disciplinary power to control Dalit women's bodies and sexuality. The analysis examines the ways in which the female body becomes a site of political struggle, exploring the roles of religious discourses and cultural mythologies in reinforcing patriarchal power. Finally, the paper investigates how Dalit women resist and subvert these forms of power, focusing on the role of education and self-empowerment in challenging patriarchal structures.

The analysis reveals how patriarchal structures utilize disciplinary power to control Dalit women's lives. *Sangati* and *The Grip of Change* illustrate the economic exploitation of Dalit women's labor, with women working as hard as men but receiving less pay. The novels also highlight the stringent regulation and control of women's sexuality, resulting in severe consequences for those who transgress patriarchal norms. Disciplinary power operates through hierarchical surveillance, normalizing judgment, and examination, shaping women's behavior and enforcing societal expectations from a young age. The novels also demonstrate the internalization of patriarchal norms by some women, who perpetuate the oppression of other women. The female body is portrayed as a site of political struggle, exemplified by Thangam's experiences in *The Grip of Change*. Thangam's exploitation is linked to the historical practice of sati, highlighting how women's bodies are used to maintain patriarchal control over property and resources. Religious discourses and cultural mythologies, drawing on narratives from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, are used to justify the subjugation of women and reinforce the notion of men as protectors and possessors of women. Despite this oppression, the novels showcase the resistance of Dalit women through education and self-empowerment, as exemplified by Gowri's refusal to conform to patriarchal expectations of marriage and motherhood. Education is presented as a crucial tool for challenging patriarchal norms and achieving emancipation.

The findings underscore the pervasive nature of patriarchal power and its impact on Dalit women's lives. Foucault's framework effectively illuminates the subtle mechanisms through which this power operates, shaping not only behavior but also identities and self-perceptions. The novels' depictions highlight the intersections of caste, class, and gender oppression and demonstrate how these forces reinforce each other to create systemic inequalities. The resistance shown by Dalit women, particularly through education, suggests the potential for challenging and subverting patriarchal structures. The study contributes to the understanding of power dynamics within Dalit communities and the significance of resistance in achieving social justice. The focus on the body as a site of political struggle adds to existing feminist scholarship, demonstrating how physical and sexual violence are intertwined with broader power structures.

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Foucauldian discourse analysis in understanding the oppression faced by Dalit women. *Sangati* and *The Grip of Change* vividly illustrate how patriarchal power structures use disciplinary mechanisms to control and subjugate Dalit women. The novels also highlight the importance of education and self-empowerment as tools for resistance and social change. Future research could further explore the specific strategies employed by Dalit women to challenge patriarchal norms and the effectiveness of these strategies in achieving social transformation. Further interdisciplinary studies examining the intersection of literature, sociology, and political science could provide richer insights into the lived experiences of Dalit women and the complex power dynamics at play.

This study focuses solely on two novels, limiting the generalizability of its findings. While the Foucauldian framework is valuable, it might not fully capture the nuances of Dalit women's experiences. The study primarily uses secondary sources, which could limit the depth of analysis. Future research could benefit from incorporating more primary sources, such as interviews with Dalit women, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their experiences.