Impersonations : The Artifice of Brahmin Masculinity in South Indian Dance

At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit [www.luminosoa.org](http://www.luminosoa.org) to learn more.__Impersonations: The Artifice of Brahmin Masculinity in South Indian Dance__centers on an insular community of Smarta Brahmin men from the Kuchipudi village in Telugu-speaking South India who are required to don__stri-vesam__(woman’s guise) and impersonate female characters from Hindu religious narratives. Impersonation is not simply a gender performance circumscribed to the Kuchipudi stage, but a practice of power that enables the construction of hegemonic Brahmin masculinity in everyday village life. However, the power of the Brahmin male body in __stri-vesam__ is highly contingent, particularly on account of the expansion of Kuchipudi in the latter half of the twentieth century from a localized village performance to a transnational Indian dance form. This book analyzes the practice of impersonation across a series of boundaries—village to urban, Brahmin to non-Brahmin, hegemonic to non-normative—to explore the artifice of Brahmin masculinity in contemporary South Indian dance. Impersonations: The Artifice Of Brahmin Masculinity In South Indian Dance Centers On An Insular Community Of Smarta Brahmin Men From The Kuchipudi Village In Telugu-speaking South India Who Are Required To Don Stri-vesam (woman's Guise) And Impersonate Female Characters From Hindu Religious Narratives. Impersonation Is Not Simply A Gender Performance Circumscribed To The Kuchipudi Stage, But A Practice Of Power That Enables The Construction Of Hegemonic Brahmin Masculinity In Everyday Village Life. However, The Power Of The Brahmin Male Body In Stri-vesam Is Highly Contingent, Particularly On Account Of The Expansion Of Kuchipudi In The Latter Half Of The Twentieth Century From A Localized Village Performance To A Transnational Indian Dance Form. This Book Analyzes The Practice Of Impersonation Across A Series Of Boundaries--village To Urban, Brahmin To Non-brahmin, Hegemonic To Non-normative--to Explore The Artifice Of Brahmin Masculinity In Contemporary South Indian Dance--provided By Publisher. Occupying Center Stage : Impersonation And The Classicization Of Kuchipudi -- I Am Satyabhama : Constructing Hegemonic Brahmin Masculinity In The Kuchipudi Village -- Constructing Artifice, Interrogating Impersonation : Madhavi As Vidūṣaka In Village Bhamakalapam Performance -- Bhamakalapam Beyond The Village : Transgressing Norms Of Gender And Sexuality In Urban And Transnational Kuchipudi Dance -- Longing To Dance : Stories Of Kuchipudi Brahmin Women. Harshita Mruthinti Kamath. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Drawing on multisited ethnographic fieldwork and performance analysis, this book centers on an insular community of Smarta brahmin men from the Kuchipudi village in Telugu-speaking South India, who are required to don stri?-ve?s?am (woman?s guise) and impersonate female characters from Hindu religious narratives. According to the hagiography of Siddhendra, the founding saint of Kuchipudi dance, every brahmin man from a hereditary Kuchipudi family must don stri?-ve?s?am at least once in his life, a prescription that still resonates in the village today. Impersonation, the term used to indicate the donning of gender guise (ve?s?am), is not simply a performative mandate for Kuchipudi brahmin men but also a practice of power that creates normative ideals of brahmin masculinity in village performance and everyday life. However, the construction of brahmin masculinity against the backdrop of impersonation is highly contingent, particularly on account of the expansion of Kuchipudi in the latter half of the twentieth century from a localized village performance to a transnational Indian ?classical? dance tradition. By shifting from village to urban and transnational spaces, the book traces the technologies of normativity that create, sustain, and undermine normative ideals of gender, caste, and sexuality through the embodied practice of impersonation in contemporary South India. Drawing on multisited ethnographic fieldwork and performance analysis, this book centers on an insular community of Smarta brahmin men from the Kuchipudi village in Telugu-speaking South India, who are required to don strī-vēṣam (woman's guise) and impersonate female characters from Hindu religious narratives. According to the hagiography of Siddhendra, the founding saint of Kuchipudi dance, every brahmin man from a hereditary Kuchipudi family must don strī-vēṣam at least once in his life, a prescription that still resonates in the village today. Impersonation, the term used to indicate the donning of gender guise (vēṣam), is not simply a performative mandate for Kuchipudi brahmin men but also a practice of power that creates normative ideals of brahmin masculinity in village performance and everyday life. However, the construction of brahmin masculinity against the backdrop of impersonation is highly contingent, particularly on account of the expansion of Kuchipudi in the latter half of the twentieth century from a localized village performance to a transnational Indian “classical” dance tradition. By shifting from village to urban and transnational spaces, the book traces the technologies of normativity that create, sustain, and undermine normative ideals of gender, caste, and sexuality through the embodied practice of impersonation in contemporary South India At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit (http://www.luminosoa.org) www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Impersonations: The Artifice of Brahmin Masculinity in South Indian Dance centers on an insular community of Smarta Brahmin men from the Kuchipudi village in Telugu-speaking South India who are required to don stri-vesam (woman’s guise) and impersonate female characters from Hindu religious narratives. Impersonation is not simply a gender performance circumscribed to the Kuchipudi stage, but a practice of power that enables the construction of hegemonic Brahmin masculinity in everyday village life. However, the power of the Brahmin male body in stri-vesam is highly contingent, particularly on account of the expansion of Kuchipudi in the latter half of the twentieth century from a localized village performance to a transnational Indian dance form. This book analyzes the practice of impersonation across a series of boundaries—village to urban, Brahmin to non-Brahmin, hegemonic to non-normative—to explore the artifice of Brahmin masculinity in contemporary South Indian dance. Dedication Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Notes on Transliteration Introduction 1. Taking Center Stage 2. “I am Satyabhama” 3. Constructing Artifice Interrogating Impersonation 4. Bhāmākalāpam beyond the Village 5. Longing to Dance Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index