Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal
Bauls, the wandering minstrels of rural Bengal (of both Bangladesh and India), are a socio-religiously marginalized cultural group. While the ritualistic practices and spiritual discourses of the Bauls have received scholarly attention, scholarship on Bauls’ songs about material and communicative ad...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/1018 |
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| author | Uttaran Dutta Panchali Banerjee Soham Ghosh Priyam Ghosal Samya Srimany Sahana Mukherjee |
| author_facet | Uttaran Dutta Panchali Banerjee Soham Ghosh Priyam Ghosal Samya Srimany Sahana Mukherjee |
| author_sort | Uttaran Dutta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bauls, the wandering minstrels of rural Bengal (of both Bangladesh and India), are a socio-religiously marginalized cultural group. While the ritualistic practices and spiritual discourses of the Bauls have received scholarly attention, scholarship on Bauls’ songs about material and communicative adversities and their emancipatory visions is lacking. Bauls’ performances and discourses are precursors to envisioning alternative emancipatory possibilities that question dominant intolerances, oppressions, and exploitations. This article documents and reflects on the works of two contemporary Bauls—Shah Abdul Karim and Manimohan Das. Through their songs and performances, they (i) question the power structure and legitimize the sufferings and struggles of the downtrodden, and (ii) seek to raise societal consciousness in imagining a free and just society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:06:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7099c40412249189a71f11ecca0c7c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:06:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7099c40412249189a71f11ecca0c7c42023-11-23T01:17:52ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-11-011211101810.3390/rel12111018Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural BengalUttaran Dutta0Panchali Banerjee1Soham Ghosh2Priyam Ghosal3Samya Srimany4Sahana Mukherjee5Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USADepartment of Economics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, IndiaDepartment of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, IndiaDepartment of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, IndiaDepartment of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, IndiaDepartment of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, IndiaBauls, the wandering minstrels of rural Bengal (of both Bangladesh and India), are a socio-religiously marginalized cultural group. While the ritualistic practices and spiritual discourses of the Bauls have received scholarly attention, scholarship on Bauls’ songs about material and communicative adversities and their emancipatory visions is lacking. Bauls’ performances and discourses are precursors to envisioning alternative emancipatory possibilities that question dominant intolerances, oppressions, and exploitations. This article documents and reflects on the works of two contemporary Bauls—Shah Abdul Karim and Manimohan Das. Through their songs and performances, they (i) question the power structure and legitimize the sufferings and struggles of the downtrodden, and (ii) seek to raise societal consciousness in imagining a free and just society.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/1018BaulvoiceBengalemancipation |
| spellingShingle | Uttaran Dutta Panchali Banerjee Soham Ghosh Priyam Ghosal Samya Srimany Sahana Mukherjee Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal Religions Baul voice Bengal emancipation |
| title | Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal |
| title_full | Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal |
| title_fullStr | Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal |
| title_short | Songs of Dissent and Consciousness: Pronouncements of the Bauls of Rural Bengal |
| title_sort | songs of dissent and consciousness pronouncements of the bauls of rural bengal |
| topic | Baul voice Bengal emancipation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/1018 |
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