Paper short abstract:

During the post 1990s, migration and reservation paved way for economic development among Dalits of Southern Tamil Nadu, where they started to replicate the cultural idioms of dominant castes with public performances.This has helped in Dalit assertion and the politics of representation.

Paper long abstract:

As components of a broader struggle for equality in Tamil Nadu, Dalits (ex-untouchables) often challenge prevailing caste norms by replicating practices and conventions of locally dominant groups. This paper examines performative aspects of such struggles by focusing on guru pujas, public performances undertaken to pay homage to late social and political icons/leaders. As annual events these pujas have enabled Thevars, the local dominant caste, to showcase their community's strength and power through the appropriation of public space and the organization of mass rallies, flag hoisting ceremonies and related events. However, the same mode of public performance, which was integral to the public production and consolidation of the dominant caste as a political community, has been replicated by historically marginalized castes like Dalits. These performances provide a micro-lens to understand the dynamics of how local power is generated and made visible through a politics inscribed in space. Recent decades have witnessed increased competition over public symbols and the strategic location of caste-specific cultural signifiers - including competition over style and performance - and a heightened contest over the occupation of public space.