Unraveling Bonds, Broadening Contours: Excavating the Matrilineal Nair Woman from the Colonial Archive

This year-long, cross-departmental thesis project brings together the fields of History, South Asian Studies, and Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies to examine Nair women’s experiences of matriliny in late 19th to early... [ view full abstract ]

This year-long, cross-departmental thesis project brings together the fields of History, South Asian Studies, and Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies to examine Nair women’s experiences of matriliny in late 19^th to early 20^th century Kerala, India during matriliny's decline. The first part of the project utilizes the lens of feminist theory to discern how one can undertake an excavation of the historical Nair woman from the British colonial archive, taking into account the conditions of this archive. The three recommendations made and justified include a re-examination of the Archive that considers its Orientalism, standpoint theory, and the sexual modes of control; expansion of the contours of the Archive to include vernacular materials, the home, and art; and a feminist conjuncturalist approach to understanding historical Nair women themselves. Having undertaken archival research in the British Library as well as this feminist intervention into historiography, the second part of the project aims to better understand exactly how Nair women experienced matriliny, exploring questions of gender as reflected in their experiences. Some realms that are explored as arenas for Nair women’s agency include litigation, access to education, employment, Westernization, consciousness-raising in women’s magazines and ladies’ associations, and the home itself.