‘Art’ of ethnography: Feminist ethnography and women artists in South Asia

Abstract

This chapter primarily delves into the broader question of whether there can be a feminist ethnography that considers art by women in South Asia as the primary ethnographic material. The chapter argues in the affirmative. In spite of the concerns, scepticisms and questions surrounding feminist ethnography in general and in the context of South Asia in particular, art by women in the region can serve as a powerful material for ethnographic inquiry. Feminist ethnography and art practices by South Asian women share a common base of fighting, resisting and dissenting against all forms of patriarchal domination, from the domains of the family to that of the state.