STRATEGIC USE OF EROTIC CAPITAL IN CHALLENGING PATRIARCHY: THE CASE OF KURIYEDATH THATRI AND ITS CINEMATIC REPRESENTATION IN PARINAYAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i2.2024.1181Keywords:
Erotic Capital, Smarthavicharam, Thatrikutty, Strategic Resistance, Patriarchal System, Gender Dynamics, Malayalam Cinema, Namboodiri CommunityAbstract [English]
The article examines the concept of erotic capital and its use by women to fight against the patriarchal system, with a focus on the historical figure, Kuriyedath Thatri (also called Thatrikutty) from the Namboodiri community in Kerala. The study aims to understand Thatrikutty’s strategic deployment of erotic capital, which marked an end to the chastity trial of smarthavicharam within the community. Additionally, it critiques the 1994 Malayalam movie Parinayam, which is based on Thatrikutty’s life, for its lack of portrayal of erotic capital. Employing a qualitative analysis, the study begins with an overview of the condition of Namboodiri women and the concept of smarthavicharam. It then delves into how Thatrikutty used her erotic capital as a weapon against the oppressive system. Subsequently, the article shifts focus to the movie Parinayam, detailing the film’s failure to depict erotic capital. The findings reveal how women can use erotic capital as a powerful weapon to challenge patriarchal oppressions, as exemplified by Thatrikutty’s actions. The study also finds out that the lack of portrayal of erotic capital in the movie Parinayam, accounts to the attempt to suit the movie to societal thoughts, concerning the response of a wide audience.
Downloads
References
Amrita TV Archives. (2023, July 13). Samagamam with Hariharan | EP:32 | Amrita TV Archives [Video]. YouTube.
Asianetnews. (2013, September 15). M. T. Vasudevan Nair and Hariharan Interview: Onam Special Programme Part 1 [Video]. YouTube.
Asianetnews. (2023). Kuriyedath Thathri- The Rebel | Vallathoru Katha | Episode #116. [Video]. YouTube.
Chandwani, V. (2022, February 28). Thathri Kutty: The Woman Who Challenged Brahminism Through her Sexuality: #Indianwomeninhistory. Feminism in India.
George, G. (2018). Role of Women in the Transformation of Namboothiri Brahmin Community in the 18th and 19th Century Travancore. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 8(3), 36–45.
Gladston, H. (2006, January 31). History of Education of Women in Kerala 1819–1947. Samyukta.
Hakim, C. (2011). Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital. Penguin Books.
Hariharan (2015). Parinayam [Photograph]. Millennium Cinemas.
Hemachandran, R., and Vinay, M. (2023). Traversing the Inner Courtyard to the Public Sphere: Exploring Lalithambika Antharjanam’s Short Stories as Narratives of Protest in Early Twentieth Century Kerala. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 25(5), 1–11.
Krishnankutty, G. (1998). The Goddess of Revenge. In Caste me out if you will (pp. 18-29). The Feminist Press.
Kumaramkandath, R. (2013). The Discursive Formation of Sexual Subjects: Sexual Morality and Homosexuality in Keralam [Doctoral Dissertation, Manipal University].
Kunjukuttan, M. (1996). Outcaste (Bhrushtu). Macmillan India Limited. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15093-9
Lorde, A. (1978). Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power. Fred and Far by Melody Godfred - Creator of the Self Love Pinky Ring.
M, S. K. (2002). Caste, Sexuality and the State: The Changing Lives of the Namboodiri Women in Keralam in the Twentieth Century [Doctoral Dissertation, Jawaharlal University].
M, S. M. (2014). The Plight of Namboodiri Women in Colonial Kerala – Reading through Lalithambika Antharjanam’s Cast me out if you will. An International Refereed E-Journal of Literary Explorations, 2(3), 784–788.
Maddy. (2009). Kuriyedath Thathriyude Smarthavicharam [Photograph].
Maddy. (2009, July 23). Kuriyedathu Thathriyude Smartavicharam.
Millennium Cinemas. (2015). Parinayam | Malayalam Super Hit Full Movie | Vineeth & Mohini. [Video]. YouTube.
Mohanan, C. (2013). Tradition in Madampu Kunjukuttan’s Novel [Doctoral Dissertation, Mahatma Gandhi University].
N, V. N. (2021). Re-Reading Smarthavicharam. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(5), 21–22. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.65.4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.65.4
News18 Kerala. (2024). Kuriyedath Thatri: Stories of Torture from age 9 to 27; News18’s Journey Through Kuriyedath. [Video]. YouTube.
S, C. P. (2022). Unveiling the Veiled: Cinematic Representation of Widowhood in India with Specific Reference to the Kerala Society. Teresian Journal of English Studies, 14(3), 20–29.
Sooraj, S. S., Krishna, K. R., & Mishra, A. K. (2023). The Male Householder and the Hypermasculine Deity: Malayalam-Language Films Based on the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. Visual Anthropology, 117-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/08949468.2023.2195342 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08949468.2023.2195342
Sreekumar, P. K. & K, P. J. (2020). Temporal and Spatial Coordinates of Smarthavicharam. Samyukta: A Journal of Gender and Culture, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.53007/sjgc.2020.v5.i1.69 DOI: https://doi.org/10.53007/SJGC.2020.V5.I1.69
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Vaidehi Rajagopalan, Dr. Ann Mary George
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
