When I entered the US in 2022, I went through a bit of an identity crisis — can I wear Indian clothes outside India or am I guilty of not integrating into society? It spiralled and became a full-blown thesis investigating narratives in media, cultural appropriation, representation and how Indian textiles hold greater dimensionality than what is portrayed on-screen.
Writing a thesis
In 2022, I joined Pratt Institute where I was told that a thesis had to be written. What started as an impersonal, slightly dry approach to Indian textiles became a thesis guided by personal inclinations. Yet it brought forth an experiential piece of writing and research.
This thesis allowed me to examine media representation, the Indian identity, Indian textiles presenting as identifiers of culture, cultural appropriation, the notions of Orientalism, the many factors that have influenced the development of textiles as identifiers — caste, religion, trade, labour and of course, colonialism.
To borrow the words of authors who came before me — any mistakes within the thesis are mine alone.
This thesis was possible thanks to the help, guidance, technical and moral support of my instructors at Pratt Institute — Emilio Martínez Poppe, Frances Pharr, Maria Gracia Echeverria, Asad Pervaiz, and my thesis advisor, Glen Cummings.
I am also thankful to Pratt Libraries, and the Writing Center at Pratt Institute, for providing the resources and environment that made research and writing possible. I owe a debt of gratitude to all the interviewees, and research participants whose responses have shaped this thesis and possibly altered the ideas of identity and narratives for me. The work of authors, scholars, journalists and textile enthusiasts has also significantly influenced this thesis and for that, I remain grateful.