Domesticating the Feral Femme: Lyrical Sanitization in Classical Music

This research examines how a single-word lyrical variation in a canonical Carnatic composition reflects broader patterns of cultural sanitization during the Anti-Nautch reform movement of colonial and post-colonial India. The study analyzes how textual changes in oral transmission served to domesticate representations of the feral femme, transforming iconography from embodied, kinetic power to passive, confined respectability. By focusing on the intersection of musical repertoire, material culture, and the stigmatization of devadasi performance communities, this research demonstrates how even minute textual variations can carry profound ideological weight in the negotiation of cultural identity and moral authority.