Susan Wadley | Mithila Art and Nature: Two Worlds, Two Views

The Moynihan Institute’s South Asia Center presents Sue Wadley, professor emerita, Syracuse Univeristy.

In the Mithila region of northern Bihar, Mithila paintings are now done by two distinct communities—those of the upper castes (especially Brahman and Kayastha) and those by the Dalits, especially Paswan day laborers.  In this talk, Sue Wadley explores the distinct cultural and social worlds in which these two communities live while sharing a common village community. Particular focus is paid to how these two communities present ideas of nature as elements of their cultural distinctions and shared spaces mingle to produce two distinct art forms.

Susan Wadley is a professor emeritus of anthropology whose work has focused on rural India for more than 60 years.  Inspired by the SU Art Museum’s collection of Mithila art, since the early 2000s, she has both added to the collection and explored the cultural and social worlds of the artists.