"May I Elope": Song Words, Social Status, and Honor among Female Nepali Dohori Singers

What is it about?

This article examines how singing the same song, on the scandalous topic of elopement, can have drastically different implications for people of different ethnic backgrounds and social classes. The argument relies on language ideologies and song texts, as realized in performance.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

It illustrates how song is a potent medium for negotiating social position and status, affected by situated ideologies of gender, music, language, ethnicity, and class.