Space and Culture, India
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Language, Identity and Conflict: Comprehending Everyday Co-existence in Assam
Get PDFAssam has long experienced intercommunal tensions stemming from faulty colonial-era administrative policies, which have continued post-independence. Key instances of violence include the Language Movement (1960), the Medium of Instruction Movement (1972), and the Assam Movement (1979-1985). These conflicts, particularly over language, have intensified tensions between Bengali and Assamese-speaking communities. Despite efforts to protect Assam’s ethnic and linguistic diversity, political manipulation and poor crisis management have deepened divisions. As affective relation is built up to fuel community sentiments and empower these movements, one may discern that three principal factors have been responsible for intensifying the conflict: misinformation among the communities, misdirection of the Movements, and involvement of political parties. Further, as political rhetoric has kept fuelling and nourishing communal sentiments till the present day, the same factors seem to be at work in varying degrees. Employing qualitative methods, this study draws from primary and secondary data, including interviews with 150 families from various socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds in violence-affected areas of Western Assam. Through semi-structured interviews, leaders, political figures, victims, and witnesses shared their views on Assam’s socio-political and economic history. This research is structured on three principal arguments corresponding to three sections, and a set of recommendations is presented in the concluding section. The first section argues that although the genesis of language conflict was triggered by transformation brought about by a new socio-economic structure introduced by the East India Company (EIC), the rhetorical conflict has been sustained till the present times through the clerk-conspiracy theory. The second section discusses how the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), as a non-communal association, tried to diffuse communal sentiments during the Language Movement in 1960. The third section looks at the post-1960s era when the conflict intensified due to the failure of the previous governments to tackle the immigration issue, and the concluding section argues that since inter-ethnic relationships worsened in subsequent years, a constitutional safeguard for the Assamese community may transform the socio-economic conditions responsible for the conflict. However, this can be achieved only when solidarity-building measures, mutual respect for all communities, and humility are made the basis of conversation
Role of Pedagogy in the Development and Vicissitude of Buddhism
Get PDFFrom the point of historical analysis, this study recognises the role of pedagogy in bringing vicissitude to Buddhism from its origin to now, and revisits Comte’s three-stage theory in the Indian sub-continent. It also demystifies religious philosophy by illustrating its epistemological base of origin, expansion, and reinterpretation. Information was generated from the translated Nikaya texts and other secondary texts, and analysis was carried out using a hermeneutic approach. From its origin in Varanasi in 600 BC to the Tibetan Plateau in the 20th Century, Buddhism accomplished three major turning points and some minor vicissitudes. Buddhism, whose original form is Dharma-Vinaya, a combination of doctrine and practice, emerged from the practice of the middle path, and the doctrine was developed as a byproduct. Around 300 AD, a new school, Mahayana, emerged that ascended an arhat up to the saviour God. Similarly, around 1400 AD, the noble eightfold path was revised to tantric sex and the arhat into the Tulku. While expanding the doctrine, scholars, monks, and sages interpreted and taught it as per the learners’ epistemological base by changing the content. Pedagogy is the primary cause of vicissitude in Buddhism, and new emergences are the product of fulfilling the ‘gap’ in the epistemological paradigm between the teachers and the learners
Gendered Disparities in Water and Sanitation through an Intersectional Lens: Emphasising Women’s Perspectives
Get PDFThe relationship between gender and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) has been a widely accepted concern among academicians, activists, and social workers in India, but research and policies focusing on gender and sanitation often fail to address the issue of the intersectionality of identities. Analysing the complex intersection of caste, class, age and gender with water and sanitation in rural India extends new opportunities to explore the complex power dynamics prevalent in society. A focus group study with 54 female participants of seven discussions and in-depth interviews has been conducted in the Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh to explore the social relations and differences in the physical world within the context of accessibility, affordability, and availability in the water and sanitation sector. Given gendered and other social divisions, we elaborate on how women play an essential role in water and sanitation management in the household. This study also offers evidence of rural women’s experiences of intra-personal, household, and social harassment and violence related to poor or absence of sanitation and water infrastructure due to intersectional social dynamics. We also demonstrate how theorising about a single dimension of social difference ignores the different groups’ access to power, leading to inequality and disparity.
Hegemony, Power Structure and Tribal Resistance: A Subaltern Geopolitics View on Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow (2018)
Get PDFSubaltern studies address postcolonial notions, binary oppositions, and power structures, enabling us to perceive history from an oppressed perspective. Similarly, subaltern geopolitics challenges the traditional narratives that often present the interest of the dominant community and omit the marginalised history. It provides perspectives of the dominant group with geographical imaginaries. This article aims to trace hegemony and power structures with geographical imaginaries through the theoretical framework of subaltern geopolitics in Mahaswetha Devi’s Chotti Munda and his Arrow (2018), translated by Gayatri Chakravarti Spivak. Munda tribes are connected to the land, and the acquisition of land played a pivotal role in the domination and subjugation of the natives. With the subaltern geopolitics, the process of imperialism against the Tribal community during and after the colonisation is studied. Through the lens of hegemony, the cultural exploitation of tribal communities is analysed. It also focuses on the power structure in terms of political and economic structures and elucidates the resistance of the Munda tribal community. The paper identifies three hegemonic power structures that existed during the colonial period, after the colonial period, and in the contemporary period. The article investigates the power structures imposed on Munda tribes through the ownership of the lands and the tribes’ resistance, irrespective of government. The paper brings out the significance of resistance and the importance of land in the lives of tribal people. It concludes that resistance against the authorities is the only means of their survival
Women at the Crossroads: The Intersectional Dynamics of Women’s Movements in Assam
Get PDFThe paper explores the mobilisation, interdependence, and organisation of the women\u27s movement in Assam, locating it from the landmark events of the Assam Movement through a feminist lens. Instead of positioning women as passive recipients in Assam’s conflict-ridden areas, it captures the feminist recovery in the state’s men-led political movement. The study points out that while male leadership in Assam’s movements often relied on women’s involvement, women’s specific demands were frequently overlooked, and their voices were marginalised. In response, women have sought to reclaim their agency and narrate an alternative history. However, the social basis of the women’s movement is neither class nor ethnic minority but based on shared social circumstances. Therefore, studying the women’s movement in Assam, this paper considered an essential concern of feminism: dissimilarities and contrasting factors among women, depicting that gender alone does not marginalise. With a focus on this research gap, this study underscores the importance of an intersectional approach to understanding the fractured solidarity within Assam’s women’s movement, addressing a significant gap in feminist writing
Unveiling the Rhetoric of Victim Blaming: Perpetuating Language Patterns in Select Bollywood Films Depicting Sexual Assault
Get PDFThis research investigates the rhetoric of victim blaming of women in select Bollywood films portraying instances of sexual assaults. By examining the language patterns employed in these films, this study aims to unveil the underlying narrative constructs that perpetuate victim blaming and contribute to the cultural discourse surrounding sexual violence against women. Using an integrated Discourse and Thematic analysis, two Bollywood films, Damini (1993) and Pink (2016), have been critically analysed to identify recurring themes, dialogues, and character portrayals that potentially reinforce victim blaming. The findings of this study shed light on the perpetuating complex interplay between popular media representations, gender dynamics, and the interrogation and introspection culture (in a particular space— courtroom) post-sexual assault, even after a gap of more than two decades. Ultimately, this research aims to sensitise and encourage dialogue around the importance of responsible storytelling in the entertainment industry and its potential role in fostering empathy, understanding, and support for survivors of sexual assault
Unnoticed Child from the Conflict Zone: A Study of Human Behaviour in Select Indian Graphic Novels
Get PDFChildren in conflict-affected regions face numerous obstacles that can substantially impact their cognitive and behavioural development. The purpose of this study is to examine how Indian Graphic Novels, specifically Malik Sajad’s Munnu: A Boy from Kashmir and Varud Gupta & Ayushi Rastogi’s Chhotu: A Tale of Partition and Love, depict the routine of children’s lives in conflict-prone regions. The selected novels effectively convey the lived experiences of the young protagonists and offer an original perspective on their struggles. Children who are deprived of a safe environment due to violence are frequently subjected to financial, sexual, psychological, and physical maltreatment, as well as rules and restrictions from their parents, teachers, and neighbours. The ecological system theory, which contends that a child’s environment affects their general behaviour, is employed in the study. It underlines the effects of living in a conflict zone on behaviour, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite the significant influence of parents, culture, and social norms, the study demonstrates that the behaviour of young protagonists living in conflict zones is strongly influenced by their environment (chronosystem). According to the analysis, conflict-related violence against children has become a significant threat to global development. While the number of children affected by the violent environment is unclear, it is evident that those confined to ‘home life’ in a combat zone are at a greater risk of abuse and trauma. The study emphasises the critical requirement for defending the legal rights of children living in conflict areas and giving them a secure environment. It places a strong focus on the value of social services, healthcare, and education in preserving and advancing children’s rights. The purpose of the study is to contribute to a greater understanding of human behaviour in the context of conflict and its potential long-term effects on the development of children. The need to create a just and peaceful world for all children is underlined in the study
Vision for the Post-Pandemic Education in BRICS
Get PDFThis article briefly explores the pandemic’s impact on higher Education in BRICS member states. Attention is brought to the measures BRICS nations adopted to continue providing quality education despite the imposed restrictions and challenges. As explained in the text, transformations imposed by the pandemic affected the functioning of the entire education system and adapted responses depended on the available resources and overall capacity to adapt to the crisis by individual institutions and contexts. Furthermore, the transformations pointed out the existing inequalities and many unknowns for which various educational stakeholders were not always prepared. As evident from the account, strategic planning must better prepare education systems for emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic. It is also paramount that the narrative of the strategic planning and the vision for the future focuses on thriving instead of surviving
Gender Equality in the Agricultural Sector: Lessons Learned from the Baduy Indigenous Community in Indonesia
Get PDFThe Baduy people are one of the indigenous communities living in Indonesia at present. The community upholds traditional ways of life based on a customary construction whose application is preserved to date. The study aims to analyse the gender system in the Baduy indigenous community through a qualitative approach, especially in the agricultural field. The research results indicate a division of responsibilities in relation to scope, roles, work, access, control of kinship relationships, marriage patterns, and inheritance patterns between women and men in the community from both productive and domestic perspectives. These differences, however, were not observed to lead to inequality since the system’s value derives from the Baduy community’s cultural construction that guarantees, maintains, and protects gender equality. Moreover, the present study shows us that traditionality is not a factor of gender inequality; traditional cultural constructions have their own mechanisms to create gender equality
G-20 and Sustainable Development: A Way Forward
Get PDFIn the recent G-20 meeting held in New Delhi under the Indian presidency, the world leaders raised concerns over the fulfilment of the Agenda 2030 as the global progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is unsatisfactory. The members expressed a dire need to put collective efforts to fully and effectively implement the 2030 Agenda for a greener planet and to lessen the socioeconomic divides among the developed and developing countries. The ray of hope for a sustainable and carbon-neutral world rests in the actions of G-20 nations.