In this episode, historian and gender studies scholar, Dr. G. Anurima talks to us about why we’ve misunderstood the nature of matriliny in Kerala, Ravi Varma’s legacy as a ‘public artist,’ and how family photos reflect domestic hierarchies.

‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  

Notes: 

00:01:07:02- Why do you describe Ravi Varma as India’s first public artist? What are the broader implications of Ravi Varma’s Work, and the ways in which it was circulated and reproduced? 

00:14:12:17- What representations of friendships do we see in different cultural mediums in 19th century Kerala?

00:23:54:02- How is Nair matriliny understood outside Kerala, and within Kerala? 

00:53:46:17- What notions of family do family photographs represent? How does this complicate the idea of a visual being a mirror of society?