Dubai Letter Songs: Emotions and Migration in Kerala, India (1970s–1990s)

Author:

Kalarivayil Rajesh

Abstract

In the wake of the oil boom of the 1970s, there was a large flow of migrant labour to countries in West Asia, particularly around the Persian Gulf. ‘Gulf migration’ from the 1970s to the 1990s has had a huge impact on social, economic, cultural and political life, particularly in Kerala, a state in southern India. This article investigates the shaping of emotions over migration and how the representation of migrant subjectivities is anchored in the region’s social and cultural history. By analysing the popular Malayalam musical composition Dubai Kathupattu (Dubai Letter Songs, or the Songs) and the composer’s writings and media interviews, this article locates the Songs in Kerala’s sociocultural history and its resonance in the author’s social self. Malayali aesthetics, values and norms are dictated by the hegemonic Nair caste knowledge and practices. I argue that the Songs mirror the anxieties of Malayali society over migration and expose the emotionalisation process at work in Kerala in the late 20th century.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Sociology and Political Science

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