RELG 356 Lecture Notes - Abstract And Concrete, Silappatikaram, Somaskanda
Document Summary
Oct 29 - devadasis in south india: social organization and performance practices. Name itself is problematic: word became pop. during colonial period and came to refer to groups of women who were identified by non-conjugal sexuality in all parts of india. Came to recognize many diff. groups of very diff. women. Also had associations with temples sometimes so it became a meta-term that grouped many women together. Our focus will be on devadasi-courtesans from tamil and telugu-speaking regions of. South india are very diff. from other groups identified by term devadasi such as the jogatis of karnataka. Conflated with diff. types of histories, glossing over = problematic our focus includes: bhogam, kalavantulu tevaratiyal, tacikal. Another problem: become objects of observation fascination and fetishization. Abhors the dancing girl and represents all hideousness or hideous idolatry of all indic traditions. Fete de tereton image with juxtaposing imagery.