Fluid Signs: Being a Person the Tamil Way"Fluid Signs" is the product of anthropological fieldwork carried out among Tamil-speaking villagers in a Hindu village in Southern India. Combining a richness of ethnographic detail with a challenging and innovative theoretical analysis, Daniel argues that symbolic anthropologists have yet to appreciate the multifaceted function of the "sign" and its role in the creation of culture. This provocative study underscores the need for Western intellectual traditions in general and anthropology in particular to deepen its discourse with South Asian cultural and religious thought. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
An Ur Known | 61 |
A House Conceived | 105 |
Sexuality Exposed | 163 |
Kuņams Divined | 182 |
A Theoretical Interlude | 227 |
Equilibrium Regained | 233 |
A Différant Conclusion | 288 |
303 | |
313 | |
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Common terms and phrases
A. K. Ramanujan ācāri analysis anthropologist asked ātman auspicious become believed bodily substance body boundary Brahmin called caste caused chapter cold color compatibility concept context cultural account deity différance divination dream ellai equilibrium evil eye fact female habit heat Hindu horoscope human humors iconic inauspicious indexical India informants intercourse interpretant intiriam jātis Kalappur Kāmācci karmam complex Kasi Kavuṇṭās Kerala kirāmam knowledge kunam kuṇam complex legisign logical Lord Ayyappan male marriage means metaphor metonym nāți nāṭu nāțus object one's pain Peirce Peirce's Periyasamy person pilgrimage pilgrims Pillai planets polysemy possible present priest pūjā putti question rāgas relationship representamen rheme ritual of flowers Sabari śakti second flower semeiotic sense sequence shrine significant soil Sri Lanka structure stūla śarīram sūkṣma śarīram symbolic Tamil Tamil Nadu temple theory Thevaraya's third tion Toṭṭiyans transacting Victor Turner village words yōkam