Gendering Material Culture : Representations and Practice

This book re-examines some of the theoretical debates centring on culture and its manifestations in the material world; that is also perceived as gendered. The papers presented here examine the variety of manifestations of the concepts of materialism and take a critical look at the notion of an ‘object’, showing that ‘object’ is a manifestation and a construct, both symbolic and rooted in praxis. The body itself, as well as various acts and actions – songs, dance and folklore – have their own rationale of being material and gendered. The material can form a signifier for negotiation of space and contestation of authority as well as a tool to contest social inequality. The papers describe different cultures, historical contexts and cover a wide range of what is meant by material, culture and gender. The range of topics is wide from devdasis to school textbooks, from folk songs, crafts, fashion and dance to prehistoric finds and museums. The approaches are mostly phenomenological, historical and symbolic. The book will be of immense interest to scholars and students of gender, anthropology, sociology, museum studies and cultural studies. It may also engage the attention of the historians, the political scientists and prove interesting to the lay reader as well. (jacket)