Dancing for the Snake: Possession, Gender, and Identity in the Worship of Manasā in Assam
The Journal of Hindu Studies August 28, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/jhs/hiy011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 18 |
| Key points | Argues that two forms of possession dance honoring the snake goddess Manasā in Assam—a bloody, ecstatic performance by male dancers at Kāmākhyā temple and a domesticated performance by female dancers on urban stages—both enact a "subversion of identity," unsettling gender roles and the boundaries between "Hindu" and "tribal," "Sanskritic" and "vernacular," and human and divine. |
Abstract
This article examines the worship of the snake goddess Manasā in Assam, with special attention to the dynamics of gender, identity, and spirit possession. Specifically, the article focuses on two different forms of possession performance in honor of the goddess: the more ecstatic and bloody performance by male dancers at Kāmākhyā temple and the more folklorized and domesticated performance by female dancers on urban stages. Borrowing some ideas from Judith Butler, the article argues that both possession dances enact a kind of “subversion of identity.” This includes not only a subversion of traditional gender identity, as male dancers are possessed by female deities and female dancers enact masculine roles; rather it also involves a profound subversion of the boundaries between the “Hindu” and the “tribal,” between the “Sanskritic” and the “vernacular,” and, ultimately, between the human and the divine.