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Abstract

Tholppavakkoothu, traditional leather shadow puppetry from Kerala, a southern state within India, has long been performed in temples as a sacred ritual. This ritual art form was a male-dominated performance in which ideas regarding physical purity (in connection with menstruating female bodies) excluded women from participating. Such patriarchal codifications were challenged when Pentholppavakkoothu, an all-women leather puppetry troupe, emerged in 2021, as it not only took the art outside temple premises but enabled the participation of women in the making and performance of the art. This paper critiques the gender dynamics within Tholppavakkoothu, analysing how cultural rituals and body politics intersect to redefine access to performance. While Victor Turner’s classic theory of liminality is employed as a useful entry point for comprehending the shift from sacred to secular spaces, this paper frames liminality as an ongoing, unresolved, and politicized condition as theorised by Kay Turner. Using Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity and Raymond Williams’ take on cultural materialism, I examine how Pentholppavakkoothu represents a sustained act of negotiation and resistance within a gendered ritual order. The analysis foregrounds how women performers occupy and redefine liminal cultural spaces, offering insights into the persistent contestations around gender, sacredness, and legitimacy in performative traditions.

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