NEGOTIATING SHAME & HONOUR, CASTE & CLASS: WOMEN IN PUNJABI THEATRE OF EAST PUNJAB by RANBIR KAUR JOHAL M. A., The University of British Columbia, 2001 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2020 © Ranbir Kaur Johal, 2020 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: NEGOTIATING SHAME & HONOUR, CASTE & CLASS: WOMEN IN PUNJABI THEATRE OF EAST PUNJAB submitted by Ranbir Johal in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in ASIAN STUDIES Examining Committee: Dr. Anne Murphy, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UBC Supervisor Dr. Adheesh Sathaye, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Sharalyn Orbaugh, Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Sunera Thobani, Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UBC University Examiner Dr. George Belliveau, Professor, Faculty of Education, UBC University Examiner ii Abstract Few females participated in early forms of Punjabi theatre until the 1940s and there is a dearth of information available on their contributions in the area. This dissertation examines reasons that prevented females from entering this field, and the stories of women who have. I focus on the life stories of four women who have made significant contributions to Punjabi theatre, Neena Tiwana, Rani Balbir Kaur, Navnindra Behl and Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry, whom I interviewed over a period of three months (February to April) in 2017, to understand what enabled and hindered their success. The dissertation begins with the history of women in performance within the Indian subcontinent in general, and the Punjab region of Northern India, in specific. I then investigate gendered norms within Punjabi society and their connection to ideas of shame and honour, which lead to a “script” which traditionally barred women from areas of performance in public spaces. Finally, I consider the success of the aforementioned females, looking again at ideas of shame, as well as the support of male relatives and dynamics of caste and class privilege as factors that enabled their ascendence within Punjabi theatre. Overall the dissertation seeks to understand the presence of shame and stigma for women in the theatre, and analyze how we can understand the emergence of these four women in a field that is otherwise dominated by men. iii Lay Summary Few females participated in early forms of Punjabi theatre and there is a dearth of information available on their contributions in the area. This dissertation focusses on four women who made great contributions to Punjabi theatre, Neena Tiwana, Rani Balbir Kaur, Navnindra Behl and Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry. I interviewed these women in 2017, seeking to understand their success in a field dominated by men. I provide a history of women in performance within the Indian subcontinent in general, and the Punjab region of Northern India, in specific. I then investigate gendered norms within Punjabi society and their connection to ideas of shame and honour, which lead to a “script” which traditionally barred women from areas of performance in public spaces. Finally, I consider the success of the aforementioned females, examining the factors that contributed to their success within Punjabi theatre iv Preface This dissertation is an original intellectual product of the author, Ranbir Kaur Johal. The fieldwork reported in Chapters 2- 4 was covered by UBC Ethics Certificate number H16-02594. v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................. iii Lay Summary ........................................................................................................................ iv Preface ................................................................................................................................... .v Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... ix Dedication ............................................................................................................................. xi Chapter One: Introduction Overview ................................................................................................................................. 1 Living Gendered Norms ......................................................................................................... 7 The Co-Participants .............................................................................................................. 11 The Dissertation .................................................................................................................... 23 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 28 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 42 Chapter Two: Into the Public Realm: The Actress in Indian Theatre Traditions Overview ................................................................................................................................ 44 Women in Public and Private Spaces ................................................................................... 46 “Folk” Performance, Underpinnings and Continuities ......................................................... 54 Stigmatization and Shame ..................................................................................................... 62 Strategies for Negotiating Shame ......................................................................................... 69 The Beginnings of Modern Urban Theatre: Males Only ...................................................... 74 Caste and Respectability in the Colonial Context ................................................................. 81 The Actress in Cinema .......................................................................................................... 85 The Foundations of Modern Punjabi Theatre ....................................................................... 90 Legitimization of the Stage ................................................................................................... 97 Entertainment vs. Reform/Activism .................................................................................. 101 Chapter Three: Women “Behaving”: Gendered Norms, Honour and Shame Overview ............................................................................................................................ 106 Happy Families as “Happy Objects” ................................................................................. 113 Restriction from Public Spaces and Regulation ................................................................. 117 Honour and Purity .............................................................................................................. 122 Honour and Gendered Norms ............................................................................................ 131 The Threat and Promise of Education ............................................................................... 133 Marriage and “Happy Housewives” .................................................................................. 137 vi Motherhood ........................................................................................................................ 150 Shame ................................................................................................................................. 162 Chapter Four: Conquering Shame and Achieving Success Overview ............................................................................................................................ 164 Scripts and Shame .............................................................................................................. 167 Scripts in the Lives of These Women of Theatre .............................................................. 171 Caste and Class .................................................................................................................. 173 The Co-Participants and their Relationship with Caste and Class ..................................... 177 Patriarchal Support and Success ........................................................................................ 186 Acceptance and Success .................................................................................................... 191 Chapter Five: Conclusion ................................................................................................. 195 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 202 Appendix 1: Interview Questions ....................................................................................... 214 vii List