Davesh Soneji
Biographic Data
| ID | 4587740 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Davesh Soneji |
| GIVEN NAMES | Davesh |
| FAMILY NAME | Soneji |
| SIGNATURE | SONEJI D |
| AFFILIATIONS | McGill University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Powers of Polyglossia
Producing Dance in Colonial Tanjore
This chapter examines the production of dance of colonial Tanjore. It explains that the dance of the devadasi was developed under the patronage of the Maratha kings at Tanjore and highlights the complexities of the dance training and repertoire. It investigates the kinds of identities and subjectivities colonial Tanjore made available to devadasis and the analysis reveals a picture of professional dancing women embedded in complex political and a…
Coda
This chapter examines the traces the devadasi past in modern-day Chennai (formerly Madras). It explains that Chennai remains the capital of Indian classical dance and describes the practice and politics of Bharatanayam, one of India's most cherished cultural exports which were created in Madras. It also discusses the narratives that often accompany token gestures toward the devadasi community in the cultural life of modern Chennai.
On Historical, Social, and Aesthetic Borderlands
Historical Traces and Unfinished Subjectivity
This chapter examines the historical traces of devadasi dance in Viralimalai. It explains that Viralimalai has high rates of prostitution and this is attributed to its links with devadasi culture. It also describes the experiences of R. Muttukkannammal, the last woman to have pottukkattutal performed at the Viralimalai temple. This chapter also analyzes the aesthetic practices and cultural memory in a devadasi community and the ways in which danc…
Performing Untenable Pasts
This chapter examines the persistent yet invisible performance practices of a section of the kalavantula community in Andhra Pradesh that has witnessed the drastic social and political transformations of their communities. It explores the unfinished dimensions of kalavantula lives and describes how some women in these communities fashion distinct identities based on the past that run alongside the cell phones and flat-screen televisions. It also …
Whatever Happened to the South Indian Nautch? Toward a Cultural History of Salon Dance in Madras
This chapter examines the history of the South Indian nautch and the cultural history of salon dance in Madras. It discusses one of the fundamental ironies of salon culture in South India and describes the salon performances, particularly the javali genre. It also explains that salon dance came to define dance as specifically urban and that the javali was considered as a sign of the cultural eclecticism represented by colonial modernity.
Subterfuges of “Respectable” Citizenship
This chapter examines the issues of citizenship, marriage, and masculinity that were associated with the discourse on devadasi reform in South India. It discusses the shifting moral economies of colonial modernity that fundamentally could not accommodate the social and aesthetic practices of women from devada communities. It relates the story of the Madras Legislative Assembly debates up to 1947 and offers an alternative view of the anti-nautch d…
Unfinished Gestures
Śiva’s Courtesans
Living History, Performing Memory
Ballipadu is a small village in the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, South India. One of the most prominent markers in the village landscape is the Madanagopālasvāmi temple (Fig. 1). Pemmaraju Konayamatya constructed the temple sometime in the late eighteenth century (exact dates unknown). The central image in the temple is that of Kṛṣṇa as Madanagopālasvāmi, The Cowherd Beautiful as the God of Desire (Fig. 2). From the time of its conse…
Unfinished Gestures
Living History, Performing Memory
Ballipadu is a small village in the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, South India. One of the most prominent markers in the village landscape is the Madanagopālasvāmi temple (Fig. 1). Pemmaraju Konayamatya constructed the temple sometime in the late eighteenth century (exact dates unknown). The central image in the temple is that of Kṛṣṇa as Madanagopālasvāmi, The Cowherd Beautiful as the God of Desire (Fig. 2). From the time of its conse…
Śiva’s Courtesans
Living History, Performing Memory
Ballipadu is a small village in the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, South India. One of the most prominent markers in the village landscape is the Madanagopālasvāmi temple (Fig. 1). Pemmaraju Konayamatya constructed the temple sometime in the late eighteenth century (exact dates unknown). The central image in the temple is that of Kṛṣṇa as Madanagopālasvāmi, The Cowherd Beautiful as the God of Desire (Fig. 2). From the time of its conse…
Śiva’s Courtesans
Producing Dance in Colonial Tanjore
This chapter examines the production of dance of colonial Tanjore. It explains that the dance of the devadasi was developed under the patronage of the Maratha kings at Tanjore and highlights the complexities of the dance training and repertoire. It investigates the kinds of identities and subjectivities colonial Tanjore made available to devadasis and the analysis reveals a picture of professional dancing women embedded in complex political and a…
Coda
This chapter examines the traces the devadasi past in modern-day Chennai (formerly Madras). It explains that Chennai remains the capital of Indian classical dance and describes the practice and politics of Bharatanayam, one of India's most cherished cultural exports which were created in Madras. It also discusses the narratives that often accompany token gestures toward the devadasi community in the cultural life of modern Chennai.
On Historical, Social, and Aesthetic Borderlands
Historical Traces and Unfinished Subjectivity
This chapter examines the historical traces of devadasi dance in Viralimalai. It explains that Viralimalai has high rates of prostitution and this is attributed to its links with devadasi culture. It also describes the experiences of R. Muttukkannammal, the last woman to have pottukkattutal performed at the Viralimalai temple. This chapter also analyzes the aesthetic practices and cultural memory in a devadasi community and the ways in which danc…
Performing Untenable Pasts
This chapter examines the persistent yet invisible performance practices of a section of the kalavantula community in Andhra Pradesh that has witnessed the drastic social and political transformations of their communities. It explores the unfinished dimensions of kalavantula lives and describes how some women in these communities fashion distinct identities based on the past that run alongside the cell phones and flat-screen televisions. It also …
Whatever Happened to the South Indian Nautch? Toward a Cultural History of Salon Dance in Madras
This chapter examines the history of the South Indian nautch and the cultural history of salon dance in Madras. It discusses one of the fundamental ironies of salon culture in South India and describes the salon performances, particularly the javali genre. It also explains that salon dance came to define dance as specifically urban and that the javali was considered as a sign of the cultural eclecticism represented by colonial modernity.
Subterfuges of “Respectable” Citizenship
This chapter examines the issues of citizenship, marriage, and masculinity that were associated with the discourse on devadasi reform in South India. It discusses the shifting moral economies of colonial modernity that fundamentally could not accommodate the social and aesthetic practices of women from devada communities. It relates the story of the Madras Legislative Assembly debates up to 1947 and offers an alternative view of the anti-nautch d…
Unfinished Gestures
The Powers of Polyglossia
History (8 works) · Art (7 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Anthropological Studies and Insights (3 works) · Dance (3 works) · Diversity and Impact of Dance (3 works) · Linguistics (3 works)