27 research outputs found
Erring Modernization : The Dilemma Of Developing Societies.
Get PDFThe old and the vanquished does not immediately descend into the grave. The resistance and' longevity of that which is at the point of vanishing are based on the instinct of 'self-preservation inherent to all that exists
THE UPSURGE OF MEMORY IN THE CASE OF HAUL: A Problem of Islamic Historiography in Indonesia
Get PDFThis essay investigates the reasons behind the proliferation of haul celebrations in Indonesia. The study focuses on the construction of haul as a ritual forging collective memory among a particular group of people in the Muslim community. The writer adopts Pierre Nora’s theory of the upsurge of memory which is caused by the acceleration and democratization of history. These two factors bring about the construction of an object which forms the passage of memory among those attending haul. It will be argued that the haul is a social construction by a noble community to demonstrate its existence and domination over others in the Muslim community. It will also be argued that the haul was a reaction towards modernity in the Muslim world and the rise of alternative historiography. The influential position of the aristocracy was based on the construction of collective memory of the people in haul celebrations, which are held all over Indonesia.</p
Islamisation or Malaynisation? : a study on the role of Islamic law in the economic development of Malaysia : 1969-1993
Get PDFThe thesis examines the role of Islam and Shariah (Islamic law) in the
economic development of Malaysia and it rejects the assumption that Islam and
Shariah inhibit economic development. In contemporary Malaysia, there are two
'policies' adopted by the Government. Firstly, 'Islamisation' which is for the
advancement of Islamic law and institution building. Secondly, 'Malaynisation' which
promotes the socio-economic development of the Malay ethnic group. The study
adopts a holistic approach which covers the political economy of law in Malaysia.
The thesis explores the relationship between the two policies considering in
particular whether they are essentially the same. The study covers the pre-colonial,
colonial and post-colonial periods although the focus is on the post-1969 period which
involved the application of the New Economic Policy (NEP).
The NEP was a pro-Malay Policy to rectif,' the economic imbalance of the
Malays vis-à-vis other communities. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is on the Malay-
Muslim population of Peninsular Malaysia who form the bulk of the Bumiputera
(indigenous people).
Two Bum iputera and Islamic organisations, Bank Islam (BIIMB) and Tabung Haji
(TH) as well as the Bumiputera unit trust scheme, Amanah Saham Nasional (ASN) are
used as the case studies. Their establishment, structure and organisation are examined.
There is a specific focus on the extent to which they are examples of Islamisation or
Malaynisation.
It is clear that in contemporary Malaysia, Islam and Shariah are being used by
the Government to promote economic development. Islamic values have been used to
further Malay economic participation in the commercial sector. As a consequence, the
economic position of many Malay-Muslims has greatly improved. However, the
Government position is questioned by the Islamic opposition who say that the
Islamisation policy in many respects is either contrary to Islam or merely cosmetic, and
want a 'pure' Islamic approach. The thesis therefore involves a critical examination of
the perspectives of both the Government and the Islamic opposition
Circumlocutory Imperialism: Watan in the Thoughts of Syed Shaykh bin Ahmad al-Hady
No full textThis article seeks to examine such transition. Specifically, it focuses on the concept of watan(Ar. Watan or homeland) in the view of an early 20th century Muslim modernist, Syed Shaikh bin Ahmad al-Hady. Watan - as proclaimed by al-Hady - had a modern and secular connotation, posing a challenge to the prevalent worldview of the Malays and kerajaan(kingdom). The conceptualization of watan was new for most Malays. Identity was constructed predominantly in relation to the particular state in which a person resided. The significance of al-Hady's contribution was that he conceptualized watan in the sense of patrie which consequently became the pivotal basis for the construction of a modern nation-state.DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v12i2.59
Momok Ketimpangan: Waktu, Sejarah, Antropologi & Modernitas
No full textThis article critically observes the modern regime of time that led to the temporalizing of history. The employment of the master category of singular modernity encompasses its capacity for unifying all singularities, hence, betraying capitalism's and nation states' desire to transform plural histories into a single one. Anthropology too has been responsible for the production and maintenance of the temporal order of modernity. While capitalist and national expansions would use violent means to spatially establish themselves by destroying alternative modes of production and body politics, anthropology manipulates time with various devices of sequencing and distancing thereby assigning the conquered into the past. This article suggests that anthropology should no longer align itself with modernity and its notion of human progress. Rather, it should play out disqualified forms of interpretations, rescuing the multiple temporalities at work in the world, to blast the continuum of history. Key words: Time, History, Anthropology & Modernity 
Social rights and economics : claims to health care and education in developing countries
Get PDFThe author analyzes contemporary rights-based and economic approaches to health care and education in developing countries. He assesses the foundations and uses of social rights in development, outlines an economic approach to improving health and education services, and then highlights the differences, similarities, and the hard questions that the economic critique poses for rights. The author argues that the policy consequences of rights overlap considerably with a modern economic approach. Both the rights-based and the economic approaches are skeptical that electoral politics and de facto market rules provide sufficient accountability for the effective and equitable provision of health and education services, and that further intrasectoral reforms in governance, particularly those that strengthen the hand of service recipients, are needed. There remain differences between the two approaches. Whether procedures for service delivery are ends in themselves, the degree of disaggregation at which outcomes should be assessed, the consequences of long-term deprivation, metrics used for making tradeoffs, and the behavioral distortions that result from subsidies are all areas where the approaches diverge. Even here, however, the differences are not irreconcilable, and advocates of the approaches need not regard each other as antagonists.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Systems Development&Reform,Decentralization,Public Health Promotion,Early Child and Children's Health,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Economics&Finance,Poverty Assessment,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Gender and Education
THE UPSURGE OF MEMORY IN THE CASE OF HAUL: A Problem of Islamic Historiography in Indonesia
Get PDFThis essay investigates the reasons behind the proliferation of haul celebrations in Indonesia. The study focuses on the construction of haul as a ritual forging collective memory among a particular group of people in the Muslim community. The writer adopts Pierre Nora’s theory of the upsurge of memory which is caused by the acceleration and democratization of history. These two factors bring about the construction of an object which forms the passage of memory among those attending haul. It will be argued that the haul is a social construction by a noble community to demonstrate its existence and domination over others in the Muslim community. It will also be argued that the haul was a reaction towards modernity in the Muslim world and the rise of alternative historiography. The influential position of the aristocracy was based on the construction of collective memory of the people in haul celebrations, which are held all over Indonesia
Dealing with the coffee crisis in Central America - impacts and strategies
Get PDFCurrent coffee prices are at record lows and below the cost of production for many producers in Central America. Moreover, the coffee crisis is structural, and changes in supply and demand do not indicate a quick recovery of prices. So, coffee producers in Central America are facing new challenges-as are coffee laborers, coffee exporters, and others linked to the coffee sector. Coffee plays a major economic role in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The coffee crisis is actually part of a broader rural crisis caused by weather shocks (such as Hurricane Mitch and droughts), low international agricultural commodity prices, and the global recession. These challenges call for new strategies for Central American countries aimed at broad-based sustainable development of their rural economies. The authors deal with the impact of the coffee crisis and strategies to deal with it. They include an analysis of the international coffee situation and country-specific analyses. The authors explore options and constraints for increased competitiveness and diversification, and discuss social, environmental, and institutional dimensions of the crisis. The authors conclude that there are specific solutions that can be pursued for the coffee sector. Some are already being applied, but more can be done in a more systematic way. Also, there is a need for safety nets to deal with the short-term impact of the crisis. Longer-term solutions are to be found in increased competitiveness and diversification in the context of broad-based sustainable rural economic development.Crops&Crop Management Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Access to Markets,Markets and Market Access
Decentralization and public services : the case of immunization
Get PDFThe author studies the impact of political decentralization on childhood immunization, an essential public service provided in almost all countries. He examines the relationship empirically using a time-series data set of 140 low- and middle-income countries from 1980 to 1997. The author finds that decentralization has different effects in low- and middle-income countries. In the low-income group, decentralized countries have higher coverage rates than centralized ones, with an average difference of 8.5 percent for measles and DTP3 vaccines. In the middle-income group, the reverse effect is observed: decentralized countries have lower coverage rates than centralized ones, with an average difference of 5.2 percent for the same vaccines. Both results are significant at the 99 percent level. Modifiers of the decentralization-immunization relationship also differ in the two groups. In the low-income group, development assistance reduces the gains from decentralization. In the middle-income group, democratic government mitigates the negative effects of decentralization, and decentralization reverses the negative effects of ethnic tension and ethno-linguistic fractionalization, but institutional quality and literacy rates have no interactive effect either way. Similar results are obtained whether decentralization is measured with a dichotomous categorical variable or with more specific measures of fiscal decentralization. The study confirms predictions in the theoretical literature about the negative impact of local political control on services that have public goods characteristics and inter-jurisdictional externalities. The author discusses reasons for the difference between low- and middle-income countries.Public Health Promotion,Banks&Banking Reform,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Decentralization,Municipal Financial Management,National Governance,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Governance Indicators
