Cultural Practice as a Vehicle for Identity Negotiation: Kathak Dance in the Diaspora

Why It Matters

Understanding how cultural practices are adapted and maintained by diasporic groups offers valuable insights into the evolution of cultural forms and the psychological needs of individuals navigating multiple cultural contexts. This knowledge can inform the design of inclusive cultural spaces, educational programs, and products that resonate with diverse user groups.

Key Finding

The study found that while Kathak dance inherently allows for creative expression and the embrace of multiple identities, external pressures often try to define it narrowly as a symbol of a single national identity, creating a tension for dancers in the diaspora.

Key Findings

• Kathak dance possesses inherent flexibility, allowing for creative interpretation and improvisation, which facilitates the expression of multiple identities.
• Societal and institutional discourses often impose 'fixity' on Kathak, essentializing it as a singular marker of Indian national identity, thereby limiting the breadth of flexible identifications for both the dance and its practitioners.
• The 'heritage model' of Kathak practice in the diaspora emphasizes difference from dominant cultures to empower diasporic subjects.

Research Evidence

Aim: How do diasporic communities utilize traditional art forms, such as Kathak dance, to construct and express their cultural identities, and what tensions arise between the inherent flexibility of the art form and external pressures for cultural fixity?

Method: Ethnographic research

Procedure: Conducted multi-year fieldwork within Kathak dance communities in London and Los Angeles, observing practices, and engaging with dancers to understand their personal experiences and the discourses surrounding the dance form.

Context: Cultural studies, diaspora studies, performing arts

Design Principle

Embrace cultural fluidity: Design solutions that accommodate diverse interpretations and evolving identities within cultural practices.

How to Apply

When developing products or services for cultural communities, consider how these offerings might intersect with traditional practices and identity formation. Design for flexibility and allow for user-driven adaptation.

Limitations

The study's focus on two specific cities (London and Los Angeles) may limit the generalizability of findings to other diasporic contexts. The research is primarily qualitative, relying on interpretation of cultural practices and discourses.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Traditional arts like Kathak dance can be a way for people living away from their home country to express who they are, but sometimes people try to define these arts too narrowly, which can be limiting.

Why This Matters: This research shows how cultural practices are not static but are actively shaped by individuals and communities to express complex identities, which is important for understanding user needs in diverse societies.

Critical Thinking: To what extent do external pressures to 'fix' cultural practices limit innovation and individual expression within a community?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research highlights how cultural practices, such as Kathak dance, are actively employed by diasporic communities to construct and negotiate their identities. The study reveals a dynamic tension between the inherent flexibility of these practices, allowing for creative interpretation and the expression of multiple identities, and the external pressures of 'fixity' that seek to essentialize them into singular national markers. This understanding is crucial for designers aiming to create products and experiences that resonate with diverse user groups by acknowledging and supporting the fluid and multifaceted nature of cultural identity.

Project Tips

• Consider how cultural artifacts or practices are used by communities to express identity.
• Investigate the balance between tradition and adaptation in cultural expressions.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when exploring how cultural context influences user needs and product adoption.
• Use it to support arguments about the importance of designing for cultural nuance and flexibility.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how cultural practices can be both a source of identity and a site of negotiation.
• Analyze the interplay between inherent characteristics of a practice and external societal influences.

Independent Variable: Practice of Kathak dance, community context (London/Los Angeles)

Dependent Variable: Negotiation of diasporic identity, expression of flexibility vs. fixity

Strengths

• In-depth ethnographic approach provides rich qualitative data.
• Addresses a nuanced aspect of cultural identity formation within diasporic communities.

Critical Questions

• How might the 'heritage model' of cultural practice inadvertently create new forms of exclusion within a diaspora?
• What are the implications of 'fixity' for the long-term evolution and adaptability of cultural forms?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate how a specific cultural practice or artifact is used by a diasporic community to maintain or adapt their identity.
• Analyze the tensions between preserving tradition and embracing new cultural influences in a design project.

Source

Constructing Diasporic Identity Through Kathak Dance: Flexibility, Fixity, and Nationality in London and Los Angeles · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · 2019