Fashion in Danceform. The Case of Chattayum mundum in Kerala, India (eBook)

Master's Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject Asian studies, grade: 1,3, Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus (The Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning), course: World Heritage Studies, language: English, abstract: This paper is an analysis on the transformations seen on the Chattayum mundum which is the traditional attire of Syrian Christian women in Kerala, for it to have emerged as a costume for Margamkali, which is a native Syrian Christian dance-form. I argue that although the Chattayum mundum became part of a vanishing tradition among the Syrian Christians; but by virtue of Margamkali, the Chattayum mundum has become revitalised. Thereby, the interaction between Chattayum mundum and Margamkali in contemporary Kerala, is analysed. The preliminary part of this research has been complemented by the successive phenomenological research that was based on the interviews of Syrian Christian women in Kerala. Detailed interpretations on the interviewees' lived experiences of having worn the Chattayum mundum has been accounted for. Also, the coexistence of Chattayum mundum in its traditional form and as a Margamkali costume in the contemporary context, has been analysed. Thus, this research serves as a specific case study for heritage practitioners, to understand the potential role of contemporary artforms in revitalising the traditional forms of fashion.