What is it about?
Buddhist rituals in Bhutan use sacred masks. However, in two recent films, Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait (2016) and The Red Phallus (2018) , these sacred masks enable acts of sexual violence to occur. This article therefore examines the way in which these films critique the relationship between tradition, ritual, and gender in contemporary Bhutan.
Featured Image
Photo by Pema Gyamtsho on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Bhutan is rapidly transforming, and is attempting to retain its traditional cultural forms while modernising. The films discussed in this article embody some of the tensions around tradition and modernity, and also make an important contribution to the discussion of gender roles.
Perspectives
This article arose out of my experiences working at Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan in 2014-15, as well as my own interest in the carnivalesque. I felt that there were some striking parallels between mask dances and the (European) notion of the carnivalesque - as well as some important differences. I tried to highlight these similarities and differences through my analysis of the films and in doing so to think about the relationship between tradition and transgression.
Dr Ivan Stacy
Beijing Normal University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Masked Violence, Religion and the Arts, December 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15685292-02505004.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
