Making the Maldives: exploring how the body holds cultural knowledge

This research explores the weaving culture of the Maldives by focusing on the islands’ traditional embroidery called kasabu viyun. It uses ethnographic information collected during fieldwork in 2018 to explain why it is important to safeguard methods as much as the objects created. It does this by arguing that through the culturally structured physical processes involved in making kasabu, culture and the body are woven together to create an aspect of gendered cultural identity that is not visible in the finished items. By showing how the threads of knowing, body movements and culture tie together in practice, this research will also illustrate how anthropological methods of research can be used in other disciplines - such as heritage - to recognise these intangible elements and the importance of documenting culture for the purpose of preserving and safeguarding it.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

mres

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Maaz, Malsa

• GN Anthropoleg
• GT Moesau ac Arferion

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:2123