The gender agenda in Indo-Fijian wedding songs

Shandil, Vicky

doi:10.1080/19438192.2016.1141460

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…These licensed gender rebellions were incorporated into folk traditions that have always been an integral part of IndoFijian cultural identity. One of the genres that include subversive practices is Vivah Geet (wedding songs), which I discuss thoroughly elsewhere (Shandil, V. 2016). Generally, there are two instances in vivah geet performances when performances are transgressive.…”

Section: Gender Parodymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In an earlier research undertaking, I studied the role folk performances have in producing culturally gendered beings from biologically sexed ones. That project clarified that IndoFijian folksongs performed for wedding ceremonies are meant to create, reiterate and reinforce conventional femininity and gender hierarchy (Shandil, 2016). Considerable emphasis through discourses of religion, culture, and tradition is placed on gendered ideologies in discursive forms like cultural performances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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(Re)Viewing the Other: Gender Subversions in IndoFijian Performances

Shandil¹

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<p>Cultural performances are more than forms of entertainment and vehicles for conveying social and religious traditions. These acts are political acts that can exceed their role of promulgating hegemonic formations and instead be used to subvert and deconstruct existing social realities. This doctoral research focuses on performances that subvert IndoFijian heteronormative gender(s), namely: performances by female singers of qawwali, a genre of competitive singing historically exclusive to males; and lahanga naach, dances by cross-dressed males in Fiji and in the IndoFijian diaspora in New Zealand. Situated within the interdisciplinary field of Pacific Studies, this research draws upon cultural and gender studies as well as materials and knowledge from and about Pacific and Indian cultures to examine these cultural performances. Concepts such as Butler’s theory of performativity and Hall’s theory of articulation are employed to argue that cultural performances are performative in the sense that they not only depict what already exists, but initiate and materialise what can be. This argument is discussed and illustrated through both ethnographic and historical engagement and research methods, interweaving transcriptions of performances with relevant academic literature and oral history interviews of performers as well as cultural experts represented by community leaders, academics and gender activists. This dissertation begins by discussing the idea of a liminal other in relation to ethnic and gender identities and establishes the liminal other’s position in the overarching argument of this research. This is followed by detailed descriptions and analysis of qawwali and lahanga naach, respectively, in accordance with an additional research objective of documenting and creating archival records for these two performance genres. The latter part of the dissertation returns to themes of gender subversion, hegemony and performativity, discussing examples of the real-life implications of embodying liminal identities. The dissertation concludes by emphasising the need for more research on performance cultures in the Pacific and draws attention to how individual agency can promote social change and impact meaning-making mechanisms of social groups through the means of cultural performance. Importantly, this research presents an alternative outlook on the gendered understandings of IndoFijians by including the voices of the disadvantaged who occupy liminal spaces in society.</p>

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Section: Gender Parodymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Re)Viewing the Other: Gender Subversions in IndoFijian Performances

Shandil¹

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Performing the subversive: an analysis of Indo-Fijian folklore

Shandil¹

2019

BDIA

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This paper shows that the cultural tools used to sustain hegemony can sometimes also be used to rebel against those ideologies. For instance, there are stereotyped depictions of Indo-Fijian women in most Vivah ke Geet (songs of wedding) performed by female folksingers of the Sanatani sect. However, not all the songs fall in this category with some portraying potentially socially subversive content. This paper focuses on some such songs and discusses how these illustrate sanctioning of non-normative language and action in public events. It is argued that the potential for gender subversion is evidenced through such performances as these become revelatory of active agency on the part of the performers. Using Butler’s theory of Performativity as a critical lens the paper argues how failure to repeat norms can potentially lead to its transformation. The paper also reveals how such subversive potential is dealt with by patriarchal authorities and consequently neutralized.

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