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Academic Hardness Among University Students
Get PDFThis study explores the concept of academic hardness among university students, aiming to understand the factors that contribute to their ability to withstand academic pressures and challenges. Academic hardness, often referred to as academic resilience, encompasses students' capacity to persevere through difficulties, maintain motivation, and achieve success despite adverse conditions. The research investigates how personal traits, environmental influences, and institutional support contribute to fostering academic resilience among university students. This study aims to achieve two main objectives: first, to explore university students' academic resilience; and second, to identify statistically significant variations in academic resilience based on students' gender and field of study. The current study targeted morning-session students at Wasit University, both male and female, during the academic year 2023-2024. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher developed an Academic Resilience Scale based on Pintrich and Lopez's theory (2004). The final scale comprised 26 items distributed across three domains: commitment, control, and challenge. Psychometric properties including validity and reliability were established. The statistical analysis involved a sample of 374 students, and the scale was applied to the primary research sample consisting of 400 students at Wasit University. Data processing utilized appropriate statistical methods, yielding the following research results statistically:
It was found that there is a statistically significant difference at the (0.05) level, with a degree of freedom of (373), indicating that university students have higher levels of academic Hardness compared to the general population.
Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found in the correlational relationship between the variables according to gender and major factors.
Based on these results, the researcher provided a set of recommendations and suggestions for future research studies
Fragmentation and Beyond: Genesis of the Modern ‘alienation’ of the Self and Romanticism’s Response with Indic Overtones
Get PDFFragmentation, in the contemporary sense of the term, points to the alienation of the self and the degradation of the environment, occurring simultaneously. The fragmentation of the self, experienced as alienation, manifests at different levels, including the psycho-spiritual domain. Tracing a history of fragmentation in the modern world locates its origins in Enlightenment Europe, where its many symptoms coalesce with the birth of ‘modernity’, when a theocentric worldview was replaced by an anthropocentric one. This study discusses the origins and impact of modernity and the manifestation of its symptoms globally, occurring most markedly in the isolation of individuals due to cultural and intellectual reasons – partly due to capitalism and ideologically set into motion by the concept of ‘freedom’ and the transformation of Nature into a ‘natural resource’. Colonisation, an aspect of modernity, caused the spread of these modernist trends globally. However, an intellectual and artistic response to this is seen in the rise of Romanticism in Europe. Arising as a “modern response to modernity”, Romantic poets strove to overturn Enlightenment ideas; theirs was a project of a creative ‘recovery’ of the integrity of the self from the rational essentialim of the Enlightenment. Their own phenomenological experiences of transcendence and unity as well as their exposure to foreign philosophies from the East – Indic, Chinese, Middle East et al led to a cultural and artistic rebellion. Their aim also comes through in their ‘rescue’ of the environment from rapacious materialism, initiated by the sciences and furthered by technological progress. Romanticism anticipated the crises of the Anthropocene and birthed a new narrative akin to an ‘ecological consciousness’, in which the influence of Indic philosophy cannot be denied
The Colonizer’s Heart of Darkness: Tracing Conrad Transmedia
Get PDFJoseph Conrad’s 1899 text has inspired critically acclaimed remakes across various media, including radio, theatre, cinematic, and computer games. This paper aims to study three settings based on world history and one from the near future. It uses Heart of Darkness and its adaptations to arrive at a trans-historical, cross-cultural (and therefore more universal) understanding of this ‘darkness’ plaguing the coloniser. The first is Conrad’s original book and the associated Western colonisation of the Belgian Congo. Next, the paper takes up F.F. Coppola’s movie Apocalypse Now (1979) and Western expansionism into Vietnam. Moving to the digital medium, we have Ubisoft’s open-world computer game Far Cry 2 (2008) and Western intervention for Blood Diamonds in Central Africa. Lastly, this study includes Yager Development’s third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line (2012), which is set in the context of continued Western intervention in the name of aid. The paper focuses mainly on the logic of intervention of the (neo) coloniser. Through a comparative study of the traditional text and its cinematic and digital adaptations, the paper will show how, ironically, at the heart of darkness, the desire to intervene positively, which nonetheless always turns negative. It is only by refusing to intervene that the West avoid falling into neo-colonial/neo-imperial tendencies
The Intersection of Tradition and Modernity in Namita Gokhale’s Paro: Dreams of Passion
Get PDFNamita Gokhale’s Paro: Dreams of Passion deftly explores the complex interplay between tradition and modernity in the lives of urban Indian women. Paro, the protagonist, is a bold, unconventional woman who defies societal norms and traditional expectations setting against the backdrop of postcolonial India. Paro embodies a fearless modernity, challenging prescribed gender roles and embracing her individuality. She is unapologetically sensual and pursues her desires without the guilt or restraint typically associated with Indian femininity. In stark contrast, her friend and narrator, Priya, represents the more conventional side of Indian womanhood, constrained by societal expectations and moral conventions. Priya is both fascinated and repelled by Paro’s independence, making her a reflection of the broader cultural ambivalence toward modernity. Through this dichotomy, Namita Gokhale captures the shifting dynamics of female identity and agency in urban India. Paro’s rebellious nature often lands her in conflict with traditional norms, highlighting the limitations imposed on women, even in the ostensibly modern settings of elite Indian society. The novel juxtaposes the public and private lives of its characters, shedding light on the hypocrisy within the upper levels of society. While outwardly progressive, many characters remain bound by deeply entrenched patriarchal values. Namita Gokhale uses humour, satire, and irony to analyse the double standards and the selective embrace of modernity that privileges men over women. Paro’s tragic end serves as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by women who refuse to conform to societal expectations, underscoring the inherent conflict between individual freedom and collective cultural norms. Paro: Dreams of Passion is a nuanced examination of the intersection of tradition and modernity, where women’s liberation is fraught with contradictions and resistance. Namita Gokhale’s work not only captures the spirit of an era in transition but also raises enduring questions about the nature of female autonomy in a society struggling to reconcile its historical values with the forces of change. Through Paro’s defiance and Priya’s introspection, Namita Gokhale’s narrative unveils the complexities of identity, desire, and empowerment for the modern Indian woman, making it a profound exploration of gender, culture, and modernity
Realistic Realism in TVF's Web Series Panchayat: A Study of Experimental Genre in New Cinema
Get PDFWith the emergence of high-speed internet and OTT platforms, Web Series emerged as a very popular and strong audio-visual medium of entertainment. This new mode of entertainment has provided a tremendous scope of experiments in new cinema. That's why it proved to be the best platform for the talented and skilled artists, who cannot get a chance or make a place in the mainstream cinema even after great struggle, to prove their talent. In the last few years, various experiments have been done. This new cinema is generally famous for violence and vulgarity in both scenes and speeches. Among all these there are some who are presenting a very unique kind of realistic cinema that can aptly be called Realistic Realism in new cinema. Such Cinema is a manifestation of multifarious themes and social issues through very real lifelike characters and scenes without any extra fantasy, violence or vulgarity. In short, such cinema can be called a purposeful recreation of real life. The aim of this paper is to study various aspects of one such new cinema web series 'Panchayat'. The main focus of the paper is the textual interpretation of the series that will be based on the analysis of the speeches and scenes. Moreover, this paper is an effort to explore the varied themes and the social facets addressed in this web series, like, corruption, patriotism, social responsibility, rural vs urban life, youth ambition, Indian marriage system, dowry, village politics, political responsibility and corruption, truth vs propaganda, etc
Environmental Responsibility and Ethics in Hindu and Native American Traditions
Get PDFHuman activities harm the environment, deplete resources, and reduce biodiversity, leading to species loss, deforestation, and climate change. This unsustainable development is self-destructive. The Hindu perspective of the cosmos is 'organic' and 'holistic,' preaching a rejection of materialism and the purpose of life being emancipation from cravings and bonds. Consumption was managed in Hindu Sanskriti through Samskaras and mind training through Sadhana and Yoga, and nature is preserved through Tyaga and a controlled manner of life. The principle of reciprocal sustenance and sharing is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. In a similar vein, Native Americans have a collectivist tendency to perceive the world in an integrated and holistic manner, putting group well-being over individual well-being. They do not see themselves as separate from nature, and their perspective embodies the concept of sustainability, with key characteristics such as respect for all life forms, equilibrium, proportionality, and integrated contemplation. Ancient Indian and Ancient Native American civilizations were a picture of prosperity as the technologies in all fields at that time were most appropriate, non-polluting, decentralised, simple, and non-enslaving. They were technologies with a human face. However, over time perversions crept into this ancient way of life. The hurricane of materialism and consumerism invaded and brought individual, social and environmental problems. The present paper illustrates tremendous similarity of both the worldviews and consequently compels to implore their links. The ancient traditions have the strength and capacity to put forward solutions and set everything right, including the prevention of global environmental catastrophes
Power Dynamics: Navigating Subjugation and Defiance in Kamala Markandaya’s A Silence of Desire
Get PDFThis paper explores the intricate power dynamics within the patriarchal Indian society depicted in Kamala Markandaya’s novel, A Silence of Desire. It critically examines how societal expectations impose constraints on female subjectivity, leading to the suppression of desires and a reduction in personal agency. The research focuses on the character of Sarojini, exploring how she navigates these oppressive structures and employs both conscious and unconscious strategies to challenge and subvert the social norms that curtail her freedom and happiness. By presenting textual evidence, the paper dissects the multifaceted ways in which Sarojini is confined—physically and emotionally—within the patriarchal framework that dominates her life. The study highlights the tension between subjugation and defiance, illustrating the resilience and subtle forms of resistance employed by women in their quest for autonomy and self-expression within a rigid societal context
Out of the Ordinary: The Artistic Rebellion and Resistance in Amiri Baraka’s Tales
Get PDFThis paper embarks on an exploratory journey into the extraordinary world of Amiri Baraka, who is recognized for his short stories’ books such as Tales of the Out & the Gone (2007) and Tales (1967). The primary objective of this study is to bring out the different levels of narratives and artistic expression used by Baraka, which show how he resists normality through art that defies convention. The method employed here includes closely reading and analyzing what Baraka has written with a view to reflecting rebellion, resistance as well as artistic innovation basing on different critical perspectives. Moreover, it also looks at wide range sources which have influenced his writing style and thematic concerns including bebop, free jazz, rhythm blues and science fiction among others. Therefore, its aim is to enhance understanding about literary achievements made by Baraka besides their socio-political implications. However, this article goes beyond just interpreting literature because it provides an outlook on socio-cultural environment mirrored in these works while at the same time criticizing them too. The ultimate intention of this study is not only appreciation but also recognition for ‘Out’ and ‘Gone’ things according to Baraka since they are exceptional and significant thereby being able to challenge or defy social norms in any way possible
Spatial Violence of the “Halls” in Old English and Old Norse Poetry
Get PDFIn the recent years, the scholarship of Urban Space has primarily focussed on the postmodernist discourse, but this essay, by connecting the Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse culture, takes up the subject of early mediaeval literature and the narrative of violence in urban spatial discourse. A leitmotif that keeps on figuring in Old English and Old Norse poetry is that of the ‘hall’ - a transcultural conjunctive space for transaction or exchange of both material goods such as fighting men, treasure and the like, and the non-material items such as martial honour, power, comradeship and the like. Though such a space easily seems to be a dispositif heterotopia, this essay explores how its (non-crisis) heterotopic motif, with the true manifestation of the ‘hetero’- an encapsulation of the ‘diversity of an emplacement of a cityscape’, is ruptured by an unmasking of violence that is ironically disrupting this trans-culturalism yet uniting the heteroglossic discourses by dominating this space. The space of Gunnarr and Högni’s hall and Heorot are both equally stained with the blood of the unjustly slaughtered victims: the murder of Gunnarr and Högni by Atli in the former case, and the murder Hrothgar’s men by Grendel’s mother in the latter case. Murder and bloodlust, the polarised ‘evil’ or ‘othered’ character(s) not only unite the literary space of these two tales but also unite the cultural space of the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons, through the metaphor of the ‘hall’. This is reinforced by the fact that the disruptive force of revenge in both cases takes place ‘outside’ the halls, ‘the area of unity’: in the former case, Guðrún does not burn Atli in the hall but kills him outside and buries him, and in the latter case, in the ‘den’ where Beowulf ventures to battle and kill the monster. Therefore, this paper attempts to explore how the othered discourse of violence actually assumes the central role and problematizes the narrative of dispositif heterotopia through the spatial metaphor of ‘hall’, a miniature cityscape, by acting as a both uniting and disrupting force
The Duality of India: Exposing the Lesser-Known Realities in Kiran Nagarkar’s The Arsonist
Get PDFThe novel, The Arsonist: Poet, weaver, seer, blasphemer by Kiran Nagarkar is a reimaging of the life of the 15th-century mystic Saint Kabir. The protagonist of the novel, also named Kabir, shares some similarities with the saint, such as being a weaver and an influential figure among both Muslims and Hindus. However, he differs from the mystic in several key ways. Nagarkar has tried to place Kabir in the modern world and made him comment on the contemporary religious pluralism and complex socio-political dynamics. Kabir in the novel has been depicted possessing has a secular perspective and he talks about a more inclusive approach to religion emphasizing the unity of all religions, equality of human beings and the presence of God within each one of us. He criticizes unnecessary rituals and practices of both Hindus and Muslims. No doubt, it is a good approach but the way the things are expressed by him is not so simple rather under his humour and lightheartedness, there is a hidden ideology which is basically different from the main stream ideology of India. This alternative ideology is gradually gaining momentum among the people of India, as it appears more appealing in certain respects as a result of which traditional social, religious, and political institutions are faltering. A large number of people have begun to identify themselves as secular, spiritual but not religious. It obviously highlights duality of India at ideological level. The present paper is an attempt to minutely analyze and expose the lesser-known realities of the recently approaching ideology with a purpose to get a picture of another side of India