Theyyam as a Ritualistic Catharsis: Cultural Trauma, Collective Memory, and Socio-Religious Subversion in Kerala

Abstract

This paper examines the folk ritual of Theyyam in Kerala as a site of collective trauma, cultural memory, and social protest. Drawing from interdisciplinary perspectives—including anthropology, psychoanalysis, trauma studies, and postcolonial theory—this study argues that Theyyam functions as a cathartic and therapeutic medium for historically marginalized lower-caste communities in Kerala. The performance of Theyyam not only reenacts past injustices but also allows for a temporary inversion of social hierarchy, thereby enabling the oppressed to embody divine agency. This study explores how the ritual serves as a socio-political critique, a site of communal healing, and a mechanism for intergenerational trauma processing. By integrating insights from Cathy Caruth’s trauma theory, Johan Galtung’s structural violence framework, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social capital, this paper situates Theyyam within the broader discourse of cultural resistance and resilience.