The study aims to describe and analyse a drape, the saree, such as is worn by the Indian woman, in order to unravel the representations of the body and the person contained within it. By "wear", I mean to include the ways in which it is chosen, worn and used both day to day and during festivals. In order to highlight interactions, this study also aims to define and analyse the saree in a comparative manner: within a region (Chhattisgarh) and a nation (India), in both a rural and urban environment, amongst the adivasi and within the cast system. I chose to start from the hypothesis that an everyday object such as the saree, would prove to be an excellent tool for studying the aspirations and ideas of the contempary Indian woman. The thesis is structured around three distinct aspects of representations: I - The appearance and means of distinction, II - The construction of the person and marriage, III - Social conventions and individuality. Through an analysis of the wearing of the saree, the relations between men and women, social and political life, and the evolution from rural India to urban India, are presented.
