Can the Saree Speak? Exploring Tradition, Heritage and Beyond

Abstract

The present study interrogates the multiple meanings of cultural heritage in UNESCO instruments, emphasizing its distinction from—yet partial convergence with—cultural property. Tracing the saree’s historical trajectory—from ancient handloom traditions to its modern design iterations—the analysis shows how the saree is not a simple clothing but a contested cultural terrain where global heritage narratives intersect with indigenous artisan knowledge, gendered subjectivities, and contemporary political dynamics. Employing an interdisciplinary approach—spanning epistemology, gender studies, societal analysis, and critiques of modernity—the present study confronts the core issues of cultural appropriation, intellectual property vulnerabilities, and indigenous rights in South Asian material culture. By analyzing the metamorphosis of the garment into a potent signifier of identity, belonging, and cultural heritage within South Asian fashion, the research advances scholarship on decolonizing fashion, sustainable heritage preservation, and gendered cultural politics in the region. The present study examines the ways in which the concept of nationhood is articulated and manifested in linguistic forms, clothing, signifiers, textual elements and rhetorical devices also probes into the connections between the post-2014 surge in Hindu nationalism and the saree’s aesthetic refiguration in modern India.