Performing Marginal Identities: Understanding the Cultural Significance of Tawa'if and Rudali Through the Language of the Body in South Asian Cinema

Author

Lise Danielle Hurlstone, Portland State University

Sponsor

Portland State University. Department of Communication

First Advisor

Priya Kapoor

Date of Publication

1-1-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Communication

Department

Communication

Language

English

Subjects

Bollywood film, Postcolonial theory, Marginalization, Women in motion pictures -- Social aspects -- India -- Bombay, Dance -- Social aspects -- India, Theater and society -- India, Women dancers -- India, Human body in motion pictures -- Social aspects -- India

DOI

10.15760/etd.154

Physical Description

1 online resource (x, 156 p.)

Abstract

This thesis examines the representation of the lives and performances of tawa'if and rudali in South Asian cinema to understand their marginalization as performers, and their significance in the collective consciousness of the producers and consumers of Indian cultural artifacts. The critical textual analysis of six South Asian films reveals these women as caste-amorphous within the system of social stratification in India, and therefore captivating in the potential they present to achieve a complex and multi-faceted definition of culture. Qualitative interviews with 4 Indian classical dance instructors in Portland, Oregon and performative observations of dance events indicate the importance of these performers in perpetuating and developing Indian cultural artifacts, and illustrate the value of a multi-layered, performative methodological approach. These findings suggest that marginality in performance is a useful and dynamic site from which to investigate the processes of cultural communication, producing findings that augment sole textual analysis.

Rights

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Comments

Portland State University. Dept. of Communication

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/7241

Recommended Citation

Hurlstone, Lise Danielle, "Performing Marginal Identities: Understanding the Cultural Significance of Tawa'if and Rudali Through the Language of the Body in South Asian Cinema" (2011). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 154.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.154