Everyday Geographies: The Changing Lifeworlds of Women Dhakis of West Bengal
Sonam ROY, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India
Gender as a matrix of inequality exists across all spheres of life - and occupational opportunities are no exception. Certain occupations are inherently male-dominated, insinuating towards gender(ed) labour. One such occupation is the percussionist, where the hegemony of males over the musical instrument is not only because of gender(ed) labour but the gender meaning attached to the musical instrument itself (Doubleday, 2008). These meanings are therefore the product of the process of socialization (Abeles, 2009). Likewise, based on the historicity of performance, playing dhak has always been a male affair, subsequently legitimizing the right to play dhak, exclusive to men. However, this mould has now been broken as the mohila dhakis (women drum players) contest the male hegemony over dhak. By entering the profession of percussion, these women dhakis have not only gained financial independence but significantly increased their social and physical mobility. The dhak acts as an agency for these women to break the notion that they are largely confined to home and hearth. Through their artistry and labour, these women dhakis have gained popularity, fame, and “Sammana” (respect) in society, which also gives them a sense of fulfilment. Henceforth, the paper argues that the women dhakis have brought a change in their socio-economic and cultural status through their association with dhak. By adopting the ethnographic framework of research, the researcher immerses herself in the lifeworlds of the women dhakis, enabling a close observation and interrogation of their everyday geographies, where dhak gives them the feeling of [as they call] “Ananda” (immense sense of joy and festivity). Methods like participant observation and unstructured interviews were employed to understand the interaction of women dhakis in a male-dominated space. Essentially, the study attempts to reflect a local feminist movement from South Asia.
Mots clés : Gender(ed) contestation|Everyday Geographies|Ethnography|Dhaki|Socio-economic Status
A104389SR