Gosain Tawaif

Slaves, Sex, and Ascetics in Rasdhan, ca. 1800-1857

Bibliographic Data

ID3658795
AuthorsVijay Pinch
Year2004
Volume38
Issue3
Pages559-597
Publication date2004-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueModern Asian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0026-749X • E-ISSN: 1469-8099
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0026749x03001185
OpenAlexW2060574940
LanguageEN
Citations received10

In the center of the clearing, an aging warrior tries to draw his sword, fury etched upon his face. He faces two young warriors with raised swords who are racing to attack. A distraught old woman restrains the old warrior, while two younger men attempt to calm his attackers. A young boy holding a bow, arrows tucked in his waistband, dashes toward the combatants, in hopes of intervening. In the flash of a moment, perhaps as a result of a misspoken word or a perceived affront, harmony has given way to fracture. The anger on some faces, and despair on others, suggests an earlier time of friendship and love. Only one person is unperturbed. In the foreground a placid young woman observes the unfolding battle while tending a crying newborn. A young boy by her side also looks upon the scene, but with an expression of horror on his face. She, by contrast, seems utterly unconcerned. Indeed, she almost appears to enjoy the collapse of the social world around her. This is a hint, perhaps, about the nature of the conflict, namely, that it somehow revolves around her

Ancient history · Art · Battle · Friendship · Harmony (color · Literature · Psychoanalysis · Romance · SWORD · Visual arts · African history and culture analysis · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub