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The Anthropological Study of the Jains: Two Essays
Get PDFLawrence A. “Alan” Babb (1941-2023) was a leading anthropologist of South Asian religions, whose extensive scholarship on the Jains played a pivotal role in bringing the study of the Jains into the mainstream of South Asian Studies. His writings consistently were theoretically astute, but he rarely wrote articles devoted solely to questions of method and theory. The two short essays presented here are an exception. He wrote them for audiences of Jains who were interested in scholarly approaches to their tradition. They therefore provide an excellent overview of Babb’s anthropological methods, and indicate how the anthropological study of the rituals and lived experience of the Jains is an essential component to textual studies of doctrine for a larger, more complete understanding of the Jains. These articles are difficult to access, and neither is found in standard academic indices and bibliographies. IJJS therefore reprints them here as a service to the field of Jain Studies
Race, gender and class under COVID-19: narratives of care, caring and carers
Get PDFIt has been well documented that the COVID-19 pandemic and policy responses in the UK had discriminatory effects on racially minoritised communities, older people and carers. While separate studies have investigated outcomes for these groups, few have brought them together. This article shares findings from a qualitative study undertaken during the pandemic that investigated impacts on the everyday lives of three racially minoritised groups in the UK: older people and unpaid and paid carers for adults. Situating the data in a wider context and viewed through a feminist lens of everyday political economy, we argue that the pandemic both reflected ongoing crises in and of care and intensified life-making practices of social reproduction. As revealed through narratives of everyday care experiences at the ‘peak’ moment of the pandemic, the crisis was characterised by depletion through care and caring, reinforcing and deepening existing racialised, gendered and class-based hierarchies of inequality
Indonesia in 2024: Prabowo, Patronage, and Power Plays
No full textIndonesia in 2024 witnessed significant political, economic, and social developments. February’s elections resulted in the controversial victory of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka as president and vice president, raising concerns about democratic backsliding and dynastic politics. Other political developments included ongoing judicial manipulation, weakened democratic institutions, and the further politicization of anti-corruption measures. Economically, Indonesia’s growth remained steady but unimpressive, amid promises of ambitious social programs and governance uncertainties under the new administration. Major structural challenges, including regulatory burdens and politically driven economic policies, exacerbated investor concerns. Internationally, Indonesia maintained its strategic balancing act between China, the US, and other global powers, while expanding defense and trade agreements. These dynamics, coupled with rising centralization and elite alignments, underscored the continuing erosion of Indonesia’s democratic and governance norms
Japanese Modernity Podcast (1): Meiji Industrialization: Critical Readings in the History of Japanese Industrialization
No full textThe Washington versus the Beijing Consensus: The Battle of Economic Policy Ideas and Africa’s Development – A Case Study of Nigeria
Get PDFThis thesis critically examines Nigeria’s economic trajectory under the Washington Consensus and China’s success under the Beijing Consensus, assessing their impacts on trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), infrastructure development, and macroeconomic stability. The study employs a mixed-method approach, integrating comparative qualitative analysis (QCA) and econometric modelling to evaluate economic trends before and after the implementation of these policy frameworks. Data is drawn from international economic databases, policy documents, and scholarly literature, covering the period 1970–2023.The findings reveal distinct economic outcomes under both policy models. The Washington Consensus, which prioritised market liberalisation, fiscal discipline, and reduced state intervention, resulted in macroeconomic stability in Nigeria but failed to drive sustained sectoral growth or industrial transformation. In contrast, the Beijing Consensus, which emphasises state-led investments, infrastructure development, and strategic economic planning, significantly contributed to China’s rapid industrialisation and economic expansion.In the case of Nigeria-China economic relations, the study finds that while trade engagements with China have positively influenced Nigeria’s GDP growth, they have also worsened Nigeria’s trade deficit, limiting the country’s capacity for domestic industrialisation. Similarly, while Chinese FDI has supported infrastructure development, its contribution to local job creation and technology transfer remains limited. The econometric analysis, using the ARDL and Error Correction Model (ECM) frameworks, highlights that governance quality and institutional reforms are key factors influencing the effectiveness of foreign investments and trade policies in Nigeria.The study’s findings underscore the need for a hybrid economic model—one that leverages strategic state intervention (Developmental State Theory) while incorporating market-driven reforms (Neoclassical Growth Theory) to enhance sustainable economic growth. The research provides key policy recommendations, including trade diversification, investment in domestic industrialisation, and governance reforms to ensure Nigeria maximises the benefits of international economic engagements while mitigating risks associated with overreliance on external capital.This thesis contributes to existing literature by offering a comparative, empirical, and policy-oriented analysis of economic development under contrasting policy paradigms. The study also highlights future research directions, including sector-specific policy analyses, governance reforms, and the role of digital transformation in Nigeria’s industrialisation
The Determinants of Insurgent Gender Governance
Get PDFUnder what conditions do insurgents challenge gender norms in the midst of conflict? And what do they gain by doing so? Using an original data set of 137 armed groups fighting between 1950 and 2019, I argue that armed groups challenge gender customs to reshape local power relations. With 40 percent of rebel groups regulating civilian gender customs during civil war, this strategy is remarkably widespread, comparable to taxation or the provision of basic security in its prevalence. I demonstrate that armed groups exploit pre-existing gender grievances, using strategies like punishing domestic violence (9 percent of groups), banning dowries (15 percent), and enforcing dress codes (11 percent) to empower targeted subsections of the population and undermine local elites. I combine cross-national analysis with qualitative case studies of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Katiba Macina, two Islamist groups in Mali. This allows me to demonstrate how the approach to local elites drives gender governance in two groups with a shared ideology, goals, and societal context
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