Kenneth David ** whose article in a book edited by Susan Wadley in 1980 (see end) is entitled “Hidden Powers: Cultural and Socio-economic Accounts of Jaffna Women”
The general concern of this volume is the social position of Tamil women and cultural representations about them. This paper deals with both of these issues. The first part is a symbolic account of the life stages and associated ceremonies of Tamil women from the Jaffna region of Sri Lanka. In the course of showing the varying degrees of subordination or of influence that women have during their lives, I focus on two specific strands of symbolism in these life cycle rites: binding and shaving. These are interpreted as a dual image of the woman as slave and renouncer, bound on the exterior but internally powerful. The second part is a socio-materialistic account. It contrasts the public images of female subordination with the practical reality in which women control property and covertly effect productive and other crucial decisions. The third part situates the first two in the context of a general theoretical question. What are the pitfalls in studying a disadvantaged sector of society? My critique is directed towards the theoretical practice of linking pairs of descriptive terms and asserting that such linkage constitutes explanation. This practice is especially problematic when one is trying to understand a disadvantaged sector. Finally, the symbolic account is linked to the socio-materialistic account.
