I. Gandhi's Legacy

A. Dress no longer private
B. Khadi's importance

1. Economic
2. Political
3. Moral
4. Social

C. Why did people wear khadi?
D. The dilemma of polysemic nationalism

 

II. A Gujarati Village

A. Jalia

1. Largely Hindu, pop. 8000
2. One hour from "Larabad" city by bus
3. Kinship: exogamous, virilocal
4. Agricultural and pastoral: groundnuts, onions, millet, barley, wheat, sesame, lemons, livestock
5. Castes: range includes Brahman (priests), Vaniya (traders), Bharwad (pastoralists), Harijan (weavers and sweepers)

B. Strong village identity influences behavior and dress
C. Fluidity of styles: blending and copying

 

III. Women's Dress Dilemmas

A. Dress reflects difference and legacy of colonialism
B. Postcolonial women's dress now inspires debate
C. Men's dress in Jalia

1. Pantaloons, tight from the knee down
2. Smock
3. Waist-cloth
4. Turban

D. Women's dress

1. Skirt
2. Bodice
3. Veil

E. Caste: cut, fineness of fabric, embroidery, jewelry, way of tying the turban
F. Why does women's dress differ?

1. Life cycle

a. Girls: ready-made European-style clothes
b. 10 or 11: skirt, blouse or half sari; heads covered; maxi at home
c. Marriage: 25-35 outfits, jewelry, bright colors
d. Old age: darker colors, less jewelry

2. Clothing and jewelry = major form of women's property
3. Clothing signifies women's relationship to men
4. Veiling (ghunghut)

a. Cover faces in front of senior men in conjugal village
b. Simple laj: halfway across face
c. Ardhi laj: across face to waist level, turn back
d. Akhi laj: no part of body is visible

5. Why do women veil?

a. sharum: shame, embarrassment
b. Natural, instinctive
c. Source of veneration, admiration from in-laws and others
d. Sign of high status

6. Laj requires veil, makes it hard to change dress

G. Women's dress shows status of self, family, caste, village, region

 

IV. Brahman Dilemmas

A. Ritually important priestly caste ==> anxiety about status and dress
B. Hansaben: cardigan incident
C. Leriben: shalwar kamiz for school
D. Why is senior male so concerned about young women's dress?

1. Status in village
2. Desire to be modern and urban

 

V. Bharwad Dilemmas

A. Men's dress at two weddings
B. "Better to die than to change your clothes" (257).
C. Fluid group identity ==> elevates clothing as marker of identity, belonging
D. Resistance to education
E. Ongoing Bharwad allegiance

 

VI. Harijan Dilemmas

A. "Untouchable" caste: isolated enclave of village
B. Diverse clothing styles

1. Past: wore clothing found or given to them by others
2. Today: no desire to hold onto traditional dress because of stigma

C. Modern occupations, modern styles
D. Dress is connected to religion, status, geographic mobility, education, age, family relationships, etc.

 

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