Gendering Material Culture: Representations and Practice - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8131605728 ISBN 13: 9788131605721

Publisher: Rawat Pubns, 2013

Synopsis

This volume re-examines some of the theoretical debates centering on culture and its manifestations in the material world; that is also perceived as gendered. The essays presented here examine the variety of 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 book describes different cultures and historical contexts, and it covers a wide range of what is meant by material, culture, and gender. The range of topics is vast, from India's devdasis system 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 studies, anthropology, sociology, museum studies, and cultural studies.

About this title

About the Author

Subhadra Mitra Channa did her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the Department of Anthropology, Delhi University. She is presently a professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. She has been a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer to the Auburn University, USA in 2003, a Visiting Professor to the Maison de Sciences l Homme in Paris and at many Indian universities. She was the President of the Indian Anthropological Association for five years and has been the editor of the "Journal of Indian Anthropologist", since 2000.She was a Scholar-in-Residence, for the teaching year 2008 2009, under the Fulbright programme at the University of South Carolina, USA, where she taught among other courses, one on Ethnicity and Race. She is also the Chair of the Commission on the Anthropology of Women, an international body and part of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES). She was earlier Co-Chair along with Professor Faye Harrison (Chair) up to 2009. Her research interests focus largely on Dalits, gender, religion and cosmology, world view, and identity.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rawat Pubns
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8131605728
• ISBN 13: 9788131605721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 212
• Editor: Channa Subhadra Mitra, Misra Kamal K.