In Praise of the Ordinary Man
Popular Media, Social Hierarchy and Identity in a North Indian Text
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7093559 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Assa Doron (0000-0002-9245-7598, Australian National University, corresponding author), Assa Doron∗ |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 517-533 |
| Publication date | 2009-11-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Studies Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1035-7823 • E-ISSN: 1467-8403 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10357820903362977 |
| OpenAlex | W2124722679 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
This article recounts a story found in a popular genre of religious literature known as vrat katha [ritual storytelling]. The narrative is of an "ordinary" low-caste man and his everyday struggles. It tells of the social and economic suffering experienced by the poor man upon encountering god (called Trilokinath/Vishnu) and receiving his blessing, mediated through a series of miraculous events. However, the transformative power of the events and fortunes that follow is undermined by a Brahmin who refuses to acknowledge the poor devotee, rebuffing his ritual gift [prasad] as polluted and considering him untouchable. The ambiguous nature of the gift and the ideology and practice of devotion [Bhakti] present an intriguing and complex picture of Hinduism, revealed in the multiple social roles and social contexts in which subalterns operate in the course of their day-to-day lives. I offer a critical reading of this fascinating story. What seems like a straightforward, standardised ritual text is analysed in terms of its competing and sometimes subversive views of "dominant" Hinduism. By examining the tensions and ambivalence in the text I argue for a more nuanced rendition of subaltern power and agency which cannot be reduced to that of resistance and opposition alone
Aesthetics · Art · Caste · Hinduism · Ideology · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Popular culture · Power (physics · Praise · Sociology · Subaltern · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Gender Studies · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,08 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2013 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |