Anna He Purnabramha
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 12-1-2017 Anna He Purnabramha: Deorukhe Women’s Agency in the Making of Bodies, Cuisines, and Culture in Maharashtra, India Gauri Anilkumar Pitale Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Pitale, Gauri Anilkumar, "Anna He Purnabramha: Deorukhe Women’s Agency in the Making of Bodies, Cuisines, and Culture in Maharashtra, India" (2017). Dissertations. 1455. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1455 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANNA HE PURNABRAMHA: DEORUKHE WOMEN’S AGENCY IN THE MAKING OF BODIES, CUISINES, AND CULTURE IN MAHARASHTRA, INDIA. by Gauri Anilkumar Pitale B.A., Mumbai University, 2004 M.A., Deccan College (Deemed University), 2006 M.A., Southern Illinois University, 2009 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale December 2017 Copyright by GAURI ANILKUMAR PITALE, 2017 All Rights Reserved DISSERTATION APPROVAL ANNA HE PURNABRAMHA: DEORUKHE WOMEN’S AGENCY IN THE MAKING OF BODIES, CUISINES, AND CULTURE IN MAHARASHTRA, INDIA. By Gauri Anilkumar Pitale A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Anthropology Approved by: Dr. Robert Corruccini, Chair Dr. David Sutton, Chair Dr. Roberto Barrios Dr. Heather Lapham Dr. Ulrich Reichard Dr. Helen Vallianatos Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale September 29. 2017 AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF GAURI ANILKUMAR PITALE, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on *SEPTEMBER 29, 2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: ANNA HE PURNABRAMHA: WOMEN’S AGENCY IN THE MAKING OF BODIES, CUISINES, AND CULTURE IN MAHARASHTRA, INDIA. MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. David Sutton and Dr. Robert Corruccini The world is changing. India is changing. Food is changing. Bodies are changing. What does this mean for the women of Maharashtra, India? Globalization and modernity manifest in new and interesting ways the world over. As people establish networks of global commodity, capital, and human circulation, anthropologists raise pertinent concerns. While some are apprehensive about cultural loss and western cultural imperialism, others make a case for the rise of glocalization. While some espouse the positives of a free market economy, others are critical of the nutrition transition in developing countries and what this means for the health of the people undergoing this transition. The site of this study is the region of Konkan in Maharashtra, India. India is undergoing fast paced culture change since liberalizing its economy in the year 1991. I focus on the experiences of present day rural and urban Deorukhe Brahmin women (mothers and their daughters), who belong to an endogamous upper caste group that claims to be indigenous to Konkan. Generally, rural Indian regions are modernizing more slowly than urban areas. This study looks at how women are active agents in the changes that are taking place in their bodies, diet, and gender identities. A biocultural study, this i dissertation takes into consideration anthropometric data and ethnographic data to comprehend the manner in which women, who are the gastronomic decision makers at the household level, are responding to the increasing influx of non-traditional foods. My study focuses on the moral implications of changing dietary practices and the appearance of chronic non-communicable diseases on the notions of the self. By discussing the manner in which Indian women practice their agency, using traditional gender roles, I aim to demonstrate how these women adjoin that which is thought to index the global and the local to shape a new India. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Aai and Baba. Thank you for always believing in me and for supporting my dreams... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the fruit of many years of labor. Though this document bears my name on it, it would not have been possible to write this dissertation without the help and guidance of my family, husband, friends, mentors, and most importantly all of my dissertation committee members. I am thankful to each and every person who has made it possible for me reach this stage in my career. Thank you to my wonderful husband - Joseph Cadwell, who has been my rock and support throughout this process. He has spent countless hours proof- reading my work, listening to my stories, experiencing my frustration, and giving me the love and encouragement that I needed to get this degree. This dissertation is dedicated to my parents - Mr. Anilkumar Pitale and Mrs. Seema Pitale, because they have always supported me and allowed me to pursue my dreams. Without their love and faith in my abilities, this endeavor would not have been possible. My gratitude to my brother - Pankaj Pitale for fighting for me to have the chance to reach this place in my life. Many thanks to my all my other family members, you have all contributed in some way or the other to my success. To my eternal cheerleader - Jessica Bertolozzi, you are amazing and awesome and I am proud to have you as my friend. I miss our long chats and never-ending lunches! iv Many thanks to all the Deorukhe Brahmins who let me into their homes and/or gave me the contact information to recruit households for this study. Special thanks to the committee members of the Deorukhe Sangha, Mrs. Mrudula Nimbkar, and Dr. Sanjay Juvekar. My peers at the SIUC anthropology department have been my pillars of support in times of self-doubt. To all of you, who have patiently heard my complaints, and taken the time to give me feedback, I am very grateful for your support and advice. The list of people who have been students at the anthropology department and who have helped me is far too long to include here. You all know who you are. To my former boss and current dissertation committee member, Dr. Heather Lapham, thank you for believing in my ability and giving me the funding that enabled me to come to the United States of America and pursue a Ph.D. To my dissertation committee chairs, Dr. Robert Corruccini and Dr. David Sutton, you have my eternal gratitude for your patience and unstinting support. You have been excellent advisors, giving me constructive criticism, which has allowed me to develop my own voice as a researcher. My other three committee members have all contributed significantly to my professional development as well. Dr. Reichard made it possible for me to hold myself accountable and helped me formulate my initial dissertation proposal draft. He also helped me make sense of my anthropometric data after returning from the field. Dr. Barrios patiently heard my worries about being v able to write like a cultural anthropologist and took the time to teach me how to write ethnographic vignettes. Dr. Vallianatos has generously shared her knowledge and experience with me. Finally, thank you each and every person who has touched my life in some way or the other that has made me reach this place. Thank you to the staff at the anthropology department, all of the anthropology department faculty members who have taken the time to give me feedback, and more importantly to all of those people who have heard about my research, taken the time to get to know me, and given me information that you thought I would find helpful. And last but not the least thank you to Mounika for taking the time to patiently format check this mammoth document. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... i DEDICATION ................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................... xiv LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................... xix GLOSSARY ................................................................................................. xxiii CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 – Introduction..................................................................... 1 Global Processes and Agency ........................................................ 4 Post Liberalization India ............................................................. 15 The Deorukhe Brahmins ............................................................ 31 Literature about India ................................................................ 33 Dissertation Plan ........................................................................ 39 Broad Implications of this Study ................................................ 43 CHAPTER 2 – Study Site and Methodology ........................................... 45 India: A Historic Background...................................................... 45 Colonial and Postcolonial Influences on Agricultural Practices in India .........................................................................................