The Poet's Song: 'Folk' and its Cultural Politics in South Asia

The Poet’s Song explores the ‘folk’ performance genre of Kobigaan. Kobigaan is a dialogic song-theatre form in which performers verse-duel in contemporary West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. The book shows how the genre, thought to be a nearly extinct form, is still prevalent in the region. Drawing on case studies, it underlines issues of artistic agency, empowerment, cultural labour and heritage, rituals, authenticity, creative industries, media, gender, and identity politics.