scholarly journals How to become a Brahman: The construction of varṇa as social place in the Mahābhārata’s legends of Viśvāmitra

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-67
Author(s):  
Adheesh Sathaye
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Act ◽  
Textual Performance

University of British ColumbiaThis article investigates varṇa as an embodied and spatialized social practice in the Sanskrit Mahābhārata, with a focus on the epic subnarratives of Viśvāmitra, the legendary king who became a Brahman. Adopting a post-Dumontian position that the articulation of social status is always a political act, the Mahābhārata’s treatment of Viśvāmitra is analyzed as a literary attempt to secure the social place of Brahmanhood in post-Mauryan India. Two specific narratives are taken up for comparative study: first the kāmadhenu legend—the squabble with Vasiṣṭha that led to Viśvāmitra’s Brahmanhood—and then an altogether different story in which a mixup by Viśvāmitra’s sister Satyavatī meant that he had always been a Brahman by birth. Two distinct interpretive voices are heard in the same epic—one extolling Viśvāmitra’s extraordinary ascetic power, and another, louder one minimizing his realworld impact by insisting that his varṇa change never actually happened. Developing the concept of ‘textual performance’ to explain how fluid legendary material was embedded into the fixed epic corpus, this article argues that the Mahābhārata utilized counter-normative figures like Viśvāmitra to articulate alternative voices and possibilities, but within a carefully regulated epic storyworld that naturalized varṇa as an everyday social practice.

scholarly journals The Analysis of Sexism in English Proverbs

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Xin Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Development Trend ◽  
Human Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Intercultural Conflicts ◽  
Foreign Exchanges ◽  
The Development Trend

The proverb is summarized and refined by human through many years of social practice beings. As a social variant, it reflects the social customs and cultural values. It is not difficult to see this kind of phenomenon in the English proverb because of the widespread discrimination against women in human culture. Through studying the development trend of sexism in English proverbs, the paper analyses these phenomena from the five aspects-personality, behavior, intelligence, marriage and social status. And then the paper probes into the causes of sexism from three aspects: historical reasons, cultural origin and social factors. The proper comprehension of the sexism in English proverbs not only helps to improve the students' ability of using English, but also avoids the intercultural conflicts caused by improper using of English proverbs in the foreign exchanges.

Gems, Cameos, and Social Practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 357-383
Author(s):  
Jörn Lang
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Individual Protection

This chapter focuses on the social practice of Roman images in the form of engraved gems and cameos. They were carried along on the body of their owner, so that the way they were perceived was highly flexible. The function of the representations was thus not limited to spatially fixed contexts of perception and could potentially function in all social configurations in which their wearer interacted socially. This essay aims to consider gems and cameos as objects within social spheres of activity. The starting point is the use of the objects. This makes it possible at least to limit the social interactions into which the images were integrated. Following upon this functional approach and an overview of common pictorial motifs, examples of possible ways these representations were concretely integrated to social practices will be shown. To this end, both outwardly directed functions such as social status or affiliation with a social group as well as actor-oriented aspects such as personal commemoration or the desire for individual protection are considered.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Speech Levels in Kelanjuh Lauq Central Lombok and Kelayu East Lombok

2018 ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Husnawati Husnawati
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Social Harmony ◽  
The Social ◽  
Speech Situation ◽  
Religious Understanding

Politeness which is reflected in behavior and speech has different standards in every place as a form of cultural treasures. This is motivated by various things, not only social stratification in society and nobility, but also age, education, familiarity, and speech situation. The community members of Kelanjuh Lauq Central Lombok use Sasak "subtle" language not only to show their social status and nobility, but also to maintain Sasak subtle language and to acquire language for children. In contrast, in Kelayu East Lombok, the standard of decency in speech does not reflect one's nobility, but rather the social status and the level of religious understanding. The use of subtle language is important that everyone can put him or herself correctly and proportionally to maintain social harmony in a community.

Arrows of Power from Brittany to Denmark (2500–1700 BC)

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 247-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Nicolas
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
North West ◽  
Cultural Complex ◽  
Sacred Objects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Bell Beaker

This article presents a comparative study of the arrowheads found in graves dating to between 2500 BC and 1700bcin north-west France, southern Britain and Denmark. The aim is to characterise their modes of production and functions during a period which successively sees the introduction of copper then bronze metallurgy, the former accompanying the appearance of Bell Beaker pottery and associated practices in these areas. Several modes of production are proposed, from individual manufacture by Bell Beaker-using warriors to specialist production for elite use during the Early Bronze Age. Over and above their function as weapons – arguably associated more with interpersonal combat than with hunting – arrowheads served to portray and emphasise the social status of the individuals. In the case of the Early Bronze Age Armorican arrowheads, they should be regarded as ‘sacred’ objects, made for display and enhancing the power of the chiefs. Lastly, arrows are placed in the broader perspective of major trends affecting Europe during the Bell Beaker period and then the Early Bronze Age, while the distribution of arrowheads with slanted barbs suggests the operation of an Atlantic cultural complex.

Cross-space Consumption among Undocumented Chinese Immigrants in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhou ◽  
Xiangyi Li
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Chinese Immigrants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Currency Exchange ◽  
The Social ◽  
International Migrants

We consider cross-space consumption as a form of transnational practice among international migrants. In this paper, we develop the idea of the social value of consumption and use it to explain this particular form of transnationalism. We consider the act of consumption to have not only functional value that satisfies material needs but also a set of nonfunctional values, social value included, that confer symbolic meanings and social status. We argue that cross-space consumption enables international migrants to take advantage of differences in economic development, currency exchange rates, and social structures between countries of destination and origin to maximize their expression of social status and to perform or regain social status. Drawing on a multisited ethnographic study of consumption patterns in migrant hometowns in Fuzhou, China, and in-depth interviews with undocumented Chinese immigrants in New York and their left-behind family members, we find that, despite the vulnerabilities and precarious circumstances associated with the lack of citizenship rights in the host society, undocumented immigrants manage to realize the social value of consumption across national borders and do so through conspicuous consumption, reciprocal consumption, and vicarious consumption in their hometowns even without being physically present there. We conclude that, while cross-space consumption benefits individual migrants, left-behind families, and their hometowns, it serves to revive tradition in ways that fuel extravagant rituals, drive up costs of living, reinforce existing social inequality, and create pressure for continual emigration.

Doing Bodhisattva’s Work

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-32
Author(s):  
Le Hoang Anh Thu
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
The State ◽  
Ho Chi Minh City ◽  
Class Identity ◽  
The Social

This paper explores the charitable work of Buddhist women who work as petty traders in Hồ Chí Minh City. By focusing on the social interaction between givers and recipients, it examines the traders’ class identity, their perception of social stratification, and their relationship with the state. Charitable work reveals the petty traders’ negotiations with the state and with other social groups to define their moral and social status in Vietnam’s society. These negotiations contribute to their self-identification as a moral social class and to their perception of trade as ethical labor.

Attention Sustainability Impact on Social Status in the Class

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Stanislava Varadinova
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
School Dropout ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Early School ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Way ◽  
Positive Environment

The attention sustainability and its impact of social status in the class are current issues concerning the field of education are the reasons for delay in assimilating the learning material and early school dropout. Behind both of those problems stand psychological causes such as low attention sustainability, poor communication skills and lack of positive environment. The presented article aims to prove that sustainability of attention directly influences the social status of students in the class, and hence their overall development and the way they feel in the group. Making efforts to increase students’ attention sustainability could lead to an increase in the social status of the student and hence the creation of a favorable and positive environment for the overall development of the individual.

STUDI TATA RUANG RUMAH TINGGAL SUKU TALANG MAMAK (Spatial Study Talang Mamak Tribe House)

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Gun Faisal ◽  
Dimas Wihardyanto
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Theory Method ◽  
The Core ◽  
Grounded Theory Method ◽  
Hunting And Gathering ◽  
The Social ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Household Activities ◽  
Axial Coding

The Talang Mamak tribe, one of Indonesian tribe, still practices the hunting and gathering of natural produce despite the fact that among them have chosen to settle permanently and doing farming activities. The aim of this research is to study the characteristics of the Talang Mamak house. The method used in this research is grounded theory method, based on the open coding, axial coding as well selective coding techniques. The method used to find the variation layout of the houses and then evaluate the characters and concept of the layouts. The conclusion of this study is that the core of the Talang Mamak house is based on the connectivity of four rooms namely: Ruang Haluan, Ruang Tangah, Ruang Tampuan and Pandapuran. The house has an open layout where all daily household activities are done without barriers. The social status of the owner is identified by houses furniture and staf

Myriad Aspects of Secular Thinking on Malayali Cuisine

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-206
Author(s):  
SAJITHA M
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Civilized Society

Food is one of the main requirements of human being. It is flattering for the preservation of wellbeing and nourishment of the body.  The food of a society exposes its custom, prosperity, status, habits as well as it help to develop a culture. Food is one of the most important social indicators of a society. History of food carries a dynamic character in the socio- economic, political, and cultural realm of a society. The food is one of the obligatory components in our daily life. It occupied an obvious atmosphere for the augmentation of healthy life and anticipation against the diseases.  The food also shows a significant character in establishing cultural distinctiveness, and it reflects who we are. Food also reflected as the symbol of individuality, generosity, social status and religious believes etc in a civilized society. Food is not a discriminating aspect. It is the part of a culture, habits, addiction, and identity of a civilization.Food plays a symbolic role in the social activities the world over. It’s a universal sign of hospitality.[1]

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