Swastika Jajoo 1. Introducing Dazai’s Schoolgirl As I shared in my last post, Kawaii is a deeply-rooted cultural phenomenon necessitating a specific kind of gender performance. In order to concretize our understanding of the presence of this performance in contemporary society, it is vital to first reflect on the nature of its historical archetype. Osamu …
Zobia Salam Harvey Weinstein’s conviction in the historic #MeToo cases, more than anything else, comes as a relief. The fruits of women’s struggles are rarely reaped so quickly. Although (relatively) quick, they haven’t come as easy, low lying and within an arm’s reach. This might mean something for India’s academic and higher education spaces, fields …
Zobia Salam Of the many valuable things a young woman can be, perhaps being a ’lady’ is still a priority. I say this after chancing upon an advertisement for a very different kind of educational space: a finishing school. Give us a girl, the ad says, and take back a lady. Finishing schools as formal …
Manners Maketh Woman: On Finishing Schools as Educational Spaces Read More »
Zobia Salam The flaming red of the headscarf matched the defiance of her pointed finger, as Ayesha Renna, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia sent out a clear message to the Delhi Police personnel attacking her male friend – no. Ever since, she and female students across universities in the country have become the defining …
Inverting Myths, Subverting Authority: Women and Resistance Read More »
Swastika Jajoo This article delves into the Kawaii cultural practices which have been deeply embedded in the Japanese society. These practices involve infantilization and objectification of young pupils and women. Read the article here
Rashmi Chakravarty Ramayana, the epic Hindu mythological tale holds a revered and prestigious position in not just India, but also in several other countries, like Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos etc. And while Valmiki” Ramayana, probably the oldest one, continues to be the most famous one, it is by no means the only one. Several other …
Swastika Jajoo This article examines gender performativity of Kawaii entrenched in the Japanese culture. Through her piece she explores various facets of this sexist culture leading to infantilisation and objectification of young school girls and women in Japan. I. INTRODUCTION Didier Andre Guillot writes in an opinion article published in The Japan Times in July …
The Pretensions of Kawaii: Schoolgirls and Cute Sexism Read More »
by WISCOMP These words from The Clothesline, a work of Monica Mayer (Mexico, 1954) at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale found resonance at the WISCOMP workshop 14 kilometers away from Fort Kochi at the Seminar Hall of St. Teresa’s College. A participant at the workshop said, “I went for my morning walk today at 5:30 am. I did …
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