Overview

Stigmas of the Tamil Stage is the first in-depth study of Special Drama, a form of performance unique to the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Held in villages throughout the region, Special Drama performances last from 10 p.m. until dawn. The first two hours are filled with bawdy comedy; the remaining six are taken up with more staid dramatic performances. There are no theatrical troupes; individual artists are contracted specially for each event. While performers vary widely in age, caste, and religious affiliations, class is a common denominator: all of them come from the ranks of the poor. Special Drama is looked down upon by middle- and upper-class Indians as too popular, too mixed-up, and, in the case of the comedic performances, too vulgar. The artists are intensely stigmatized: people insult them in public and landlords refuse to rent to them. Female actors are frowned upon not only for their participation in Special Dramas but also for violating the circumscribed boundaries of activities acceptable for women. Susan Seizer learned the Tamil language in order to learn about performance in Tamil Nadu, and in this rich ethnography, she explores Special Drama performers' lives on and off stage. As Seizer's sensitive study shows, one of the primary ways the performers deal with their stigmatization is through humour and language. Their comedic scenes directly address questions of class, culture, and gender - the very issues that have made them outcasts. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage draws on extensive interviews with performers, sponsors, and agents; more than one hundred viewings of live Special Drama performances; and conversations with audience members. Seizer discusses the history of Special Drama and its place in Tamil society. She provides in-depth analyses of three popular, recurring comedy scenes to show how performers negotiate their stigma on stage. Looking at their lives off stage, she describes their speech, domestic arrangements, and attempts to blend into Tamil public life.

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Reviews

""Stigmas of the Tamil Stage is masterful, a paradigm of ethnographic scholarship and social analysis and a major contribution to the human sciences and to South Asian studies. A classic in the making."" Lawrence Cohen, author of No Aging in India: Alzheimer's, the Bad Family, and Other Modern Things ""Susan Seizer's moving and unique perspective on the fate of popular cultural practices in an age and society dominated by the norms and prescriptions of bourgeois modernity makes her work important and insightful not just for scholars of South Asia but for all those who are interested in the general problematic of popular culture, performance traditions, and modernity globally.""--Sumathi Ramaswamy, author of The Lost Land of Lemuria: Fabulous Geographies, Catastrophic Histories ""Susan Seizer presents rich and intriguing material about a dramatic performance tradition at the same time that she provides smart, insightful, and sophisticated interpretations linking it to wider discussions. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage deserves to be read, discussed, and used to further debates in many fields of study.""--Paula Richman, editor of Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia

Stigmas of the Tamil Stage is masterful, a paradigm of ethnographic scholarship and social analysis and a major contribution to the human sciences and to South Asian studies. A classic in the making. Lawrence Cohen, author of No Aging in India: Alzheimer's, the Bad Family, and Other Modern Things Susan Seizer's moving and unique perspective on the fate of popular cultural practices in an age and society dominated by the norms and prescriptions of bourgeois modernity makes her work important and insightful not just for scholars of South Asia but for all those who are interested in the general problematic of popular culture, performance traditions, and modernity globally. --Sumathi Ramaswamy, author of The Lost Land of Lemuria: Fabulous Geographies, Catastrophic Histories Susan Seizer presents rich and intriguing material about a dramatic performance tradition at the same time that she provides smart, insightful, and sophisticated interpretations linking it to wider discussions. Stigmas of the Tamil Stage deserves to be read, discussed, and used to further debates in many fields of study. --Paula Richman, editor of Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia

Author Information

Susan Seizer is Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University. Visit Susan Seizer’s website, which includes links to full-text reviews.

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