In the previous chapter, we explored the Bāṇārasī concept of a KhilōnāKhilōnā, and we learned that the Khilōnā transcends being a mere playful object for children. It is a cultural signifier shaped by the Bāṇārasī worldviewWorldview. This reflects (Athavankar in Des Issues 5:100–111, 1989) assertion about the un-self-conscious nature of certain design processesDesign process, wherein cultures embed a fixed set of myths, traditionsTradition, and taboosTaboo that are inherently resistant to intentional change and in so doing, limit design variationVariation to what is minimally necessary or imperative. Yet, as this chapter will demonstrate, the Bāṇārasī toy designersToy designer diverge from this notion in two key aspects: (a) the community does not resist change despite its unconscious or vernacularVernacular origin, and (b) the variety of KhilōnāsKhilōnā made by the community is not limited to functional necessity but panders to desire.

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Sorting the Bāṇārasī Mind: What Do Linguistic Categories Reveal About Bāṇārasī Khilōnās?

  • Koumudi Patil

摘要

In the previous chapter, we explored the Bāṇārasī concept of a KhilōnāKhilōnā, and we learned that the Khilōnā transcends being a mere playful object for children. It is a cultural signifier shaped by the Bāṇārasī worldviewWorldview. This reflects (Athavankar in Des Issues 5:100–111, 1989) assertion about the un-self-conscious nature of certain design processesDesign process, wherein cultures embed a fixed set of myths, traditionsTradition, and taboosTaboo that are inherently resistant to intentional change and in so doing, limit design variationVariation to what is minimally necessary or imperative. Yet, as this chapter will demonstrate, the Bāṇārasī toy designersToy designer diverge from this notion in two key aspects: (a) the community does not resist change despite its unconscious or vernacularVernacular origin, and (b) the variety of KhilōnāsKhilōnā made by the community is not limited to functional necessity but panders to desire.