scholarly journals The Formation of the Library System of India (19th - 20th centuries)

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-204
Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. Barysheva
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Indian Culture ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Library System ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Intellectual Level ◽  
The 19Th Century

This article is devoted to the formation and development of system of public libraries in India and their place in the educational, social, cultural and informational space of the country. The formation of the library system in India occurred during the complex colonial and post-colonial periods of its history. It took place in the conditions of underdevelopment, the uneven social, political and cultural development of the regions, ethnolinguistic disunity, and mass illiteracy of the population, dominating in the society of caste, religious and gender prejudices. The article demonstrates that public libraries in India, beginning with their appearance in the first half of the 19th century, had a special mission. They were considered not only as repositories of books, but, first of all, as centers of education, aimed to spread the knowledge, fight with ignorance by introducing to the reading, to raise the cultural and intellectual level of Indian society, thereby contributing to its prosperity. The article describes the main stages and directions of state policy of India in the field of librarianship from the early nineteenth to the late twentieth century, recounts the history of the founding of the National library, emphasized the role of Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation. In separate section there is considered the contribution to the library and information science of S.R. Ranganathan, the outstanding leader of Indian culture.

scholarly journals Gender, Power, and Cricket Spectators in Calcutta, 1960s–1990s

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Souvik Naha
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Gender Interaction ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Urban Indian ◽  
Gender Power ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract Historians of modern India have emphasized the reflexivity of men and women in the making of womanhood, paying attention to notions of gender difference emerging from both primordial, restrictive codes of behaviour and contrarian impulses towards what was popularly called progress. There have been relatively few attempts to trace gender interaction in outdoor leisure activities, public displays of femininity, and male regulatory anxieties in the post-colonial context. By studying the symbolism of women's presence in the Eden Gardens, the international cricket stadium in Calcutta, from the 1960s to the 1990s, this article reflects on the nature of power, authority, and gender hierarchy in urban Indian society. This study of questions of gender hierarchy, women's mannerisms, social identity, and informal resistance through a historical lens will enable us to understand the trajectory of women's outsider status in urban public spaces. Through a reading of the mediated parti pris impressions of female spectators, it will also map the transition in society's approach to sport from a structured homosocial community activity to a relatively unstructured field of shared experience.

scholarly journals Ein feministischer Blick auf Wasser

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (108) ◽  
pp. 369-389
Author(s):  
Vathsala Aithal
Keyword(s):  
Colonial Period ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Gender Justice ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Structural Element ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The People ◽  
The Commons ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control

Water is a structural element of Indian society. Colonial interventions not only destroyed the ecosystems but also disappropriated the rights of the people to use and control the commons. With no changes in the post-colonial period women in their productive and reproductive mies are the most affected by the consequences of waterscarcity and drought. Many development projects not only failed to address the longterm strategic gender needs but also failed to meet even the practical need of providing water. Initiatives of women's groups however do combine their struggle for water with issues of equity and gender justice.

scholarly journals Free

M/C Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trebor Scholz ◽  
Rachel Cobcroft
Keyword(s):  
Free Speech ◽  
Body Politic ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Angela Davis ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
And Gender

This issue of M/C Journal reclaims the language of “freedom”. The selected articles demonstrate that today freedom is frequently overruled in the name of a permanent state of emergency. Present-day politics shows countless instances in which information, knowledge and culture are not seen as an inalienable right but are rather oppressed and distorted. Freedom is the freedom to say “no”, to withdraw your collaboration, to refuse friendly cooperation! To be “free” means to be able to enact your identity without having to capitulate to the ruling forces that dictate which discourses are and are not permissible in the public sphere(s). Citizens worldwide are armchair passengers on the nightly TV news train; they dream of their lives as being “free”. After all, to be free is a guaranteed human right, enshrined by the United Nations. Are freedom, independence and autonomy merely illusions, or are sociable media succeeding in empowering citizens for a participatory democracy as Yochai Benkler argues? If information “wants to be free”, the battle between intellectual “property” and creativity must be resolved. Technology does not make freedom inevitable: the on-the-ground-realities of network and hardware access make what seems to be “open” and “free”, closed and expensive for most people on this planet. The feature article for this issue of M/C Journal is a statement on the state of free speech in a free country: in “Depiction of Muslims in Selected Australian Media: Free Speech or Taking Sides”, Dr Nahid Kabir examines the publication of 12 cartoons depicting images of the Prophet Mohammad in 2005. In exploring the response of two Australian newspapers to the Danish controversy, the article considers whether the debate in the name of “free speech” has ended in a “form of attack” on Australian Muslims. In “Freedom, Hate, Fronts”, Patrick Lynn Rivers reflects on the use of the Internet by the predominantly Afrikaner “Vryheidsfront Plus” political party to construct whiteness in post-apartheid South Africa. The creation of a politics centred on racial “cyborgs” points to the facilitation of freedom of an “oppressed minority”, continuing the Afrikaners’ historical struggle for self-determination and independence. Problematising this approach, Rivers concludes that, like freedom, whiteness after apartheid is far from defined. Authors Amita Nijhawan and Sukhmani Khorana both address Deepa Mehta’s highly-acclaimed film trilogy Fire, Earth, and Water. As a female Hindu director, Mehta engages controversial issues for Indian society: the life of widows who are forced into prostitution, for example. As observed, the trilogy has been subject to critiques of too much freedom from inside the country, counterbalanced by those outside the country condemning the Indian body-politic for its lack of freedom. In exploring post-colonial discourses in India’s construction of nation and gender, Nijhawan and Khorana present complementary accounts of the director’s struggle to resist government censorship. Hegemonic power is played out in the definition of freedom in relation to contested questions of self-representation in Indian society. Freedom of use and the notion of “property talk” are discussed by Australian lawyer and academic Steve Collins, commenting on the revival of values from Blackstonian copyright, in which ownership is seen to preclude the rights of others. Collins observes that talk of “property” risks making transformative works an elitist form of creativity, available only to those with the financial resources necessary to meet the demands for license fees. The notion of “property” thus challenges the freedom to create and to transform. Collins notes that this is no longer a philosophical question, but a practical one, as he entreats courts to move beyond the propertarian paradigm. A further angle on the issue of freedom is put forward by Nadine Henley in “Free to be Obese?” Here, Henley tackles the boundaries of state governance in controlling the bodies of its citizens: Is it ethical for a government to enforce the health of its citizens, or should obesity, for example, be a rightful choice? Two emotive Freedom Poems by Kathryn Waddell Takara conclude this issue. The editors have selected “Angela Davis” and “Mumia Abu Jamal: Knight for Justice” from the larger body of Takara’s work, Root Tapping, as representing the desire to celebrate freedom. The expectation of Angela Davis’ arrival and the transcendent revenge for the imprisonment of political activist Mumia Abu Jamal speak of the power of radical opposition in the face of oppression. The cover image of this issue, “Free” by John Fairley (“Bostich”), has been derived from the photo-sharing Flickr.com, which supports the Creative Commons licensing scheme. Acknowledgments: The editors thank all contributors and reviewers involved in this issue for their continuing dialogue and critical reflection on the notion of “freedom”. We wish to kindly acknowledge the adept assistance of copy editors Laura Marshall and Donna Paichl, and the continuing guidance of M/C General Editor Dr Axel Bruns. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Scholz, Trebor, and Rachel Cobcroft. "Free." M/C Journal 9.4 (2006). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0609/0-editorial.php>. APA Style Scholz, T., and R. Cobcroft. (Sep. 2006) "Free," M/C Journal, 9(4). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0609/0-editorial.php>.

Restorative justice as a tool to address the role of policing and incarceration in the lives of youth in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanie Austin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Youth Of Color ◽  
Disciplinary Practices ◽  
Library System ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Cultural Shifts

Disciplinary practices utilized in public libraries in the United States carry echoes of the ways in which youth of color and/or LGBTQ and gender non- conforming youth are policed and incarcerated. This research includes interviews with librarians and staff engaging in relational disciplinary practices, namely restorative justice, to gain understanding of how altering approaches to discipline may create cultural shifts that lead to more culturally conscious services to youth made vulnerable by the state. Individual, open-ended interviews with librarians and staff at an urban library system in California addressed the implementation of restorative justice practices, individuals’ approaches and understandings of restorative justice, and the process of institutionalizing restorative justice throughout the library system. This research reveals that restorative justice offers one approach to creating social change through increased access to library services and resources.

The libraries’ communicating popular scientific knowledge

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Pavlichenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library System ◽  
Project Activity

The author examines how the public libraries could promote scientific knowledge. M. Lermontov Interdistrict Centralized Library System develops programs targeted at different population groups. The project activity is being accomplished in partnership with academic and research institutions, and universities.

Perceptions on Job Requirements of LIS Graduates in Public Libraries: A Reflection on Public Libraries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpilo Siphamandla Mthembu ◽  
Dennis Ngong Ocholla
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews

Public libraries play a crucial role in the information and knowledge society. Their access and services in the fourth industrial revolution require review as well as the knowledge of the competency requirements for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates to offer professional services. This paper presents the competencies LIS graduates require for work. It also seeks to examine the challenges they encounter in public libraries. The study is driven by the notion that a skills gap and a lack of training for LIS professionals are still daunting challenges in most public libraries. The post-positivism paradigm was employed through the triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in data collection and analysis. Content analysis and a survey were employed as research methods. The study scanned job advertisements in four newspapers spanning a three-year period (from January 2015 to December 2017). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with assistant directors and structured questionnaires were administered to LIS graduates. Grade 12, one to three years of work experience, computer literacy and communication skills are the most required competencies to work at public libraries. There seems to be no balance between theory and practice offered in most LIS schools, which suggests the need for curricula revision. Employed LIS graduates are facing several challenges, which include lack of practical exposure or knowledge, lack of qualification recognition and individual promotions, and lack of ICT skills and knowledge.

Shashi Deshpande’s Womenfolk and their Struggle of Existence

Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-606
Author(s):  
Dr J. Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Inner Life ◽  
Indian Culture

The aim of writing this article is to highlight the theme of helplessness of woman in Indian society. Whether she is a mother, daughter, sister or wife, the society always desires that she should be docile, timid and submissive. Deshpane’s novels are trying to highlight the change towards which our society. Indian Women’s writings have been a delineation of inner life and understated interpersonal relationship. In Indian culture and heritage, individualism, quest for identity, protests are analised in the article.

Public Libraries: Their Role in Smart City Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (2(116)) ◽  
pp. 26-43
Author(s):  
Mariusz Luterek
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
National Language ◽  
General Strategy ◽  
Language Version ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
New Perspective

  Purpose/Thesis: This paper examines the position of public libraries in smart city strategies. To that end, I verify two hypotheses, H1: Cities analyzed employ strategic plans to define their path to “smartness”, and H2: Public libraries are a part of these strategies. Approach/Methods: Top 30 cities from the ranking of IESE Cities in Motion Index 2019 were se­lected. The hypotheses were tested through the analysis of strategy documents and web portals. In most cases, the analysis relied on English versions of said documents/portals, occasionally compared with the national language version . Results and conclusions: The process of verifying the first hypothesis led to identifying four groups: G1, comprising cities with a general strategy, presumed to include smart initiatives (3 cities), G2: cities with a separate “smart city” strategy, published on their own portal, or a related website (15 cities); G3: cities with subsites/portals briefly summarizing their activities in the area of ‘smart’ development (10 cities), and G4: cities with many sectoral strategies, presumed to include smart initiatives (2 ci­ties). The analysis allowed the identification of a number of areas in which public libraries already contribute to smart development: smart building, smart infrastructure, smart services, digital skills and life-long learning, sustainability, creativity, digital citizenship and smart business Originality/Value: Although many library and information science scholars study smart cities, no similar study has been conducted, and therefore, this paper, with its unique approach, offers a new perspective on the discussion on smart libraries.

Unravelling Layers of Colonial and Post-Colonial Open Space Planning and Heritage: The Identity of [Padang] Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Nadiyanti Mat Nayan ◽  
David S Jones ◽  
Suriati Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Space Planning ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Urban Open Space ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
International Publishing

In 1880, when the British moved their Federated Malay States administrative centre to Kuala Lumpur, the Padang quickly became a symbol of British economic and administrative colonisation, and a nucleus of the socio-cultural development of Kuala Lumpur. This paper discusses the layers of history, symbolism and cultural values that the Padang contributes to the socio-cultural tapestry of both Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, and the lack of relevant planning and heritage measures to conserve these attributes and characteristics. The conclusions offer avenues to engage with pre- and post-colonisation that enable re-making and the conservation of the iconic space of Kuala Lumpur.Keywords: Urban open space; Merdeka Square; Kuala Lumpur City Hall; National Heritage Act 2005eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i11.1721

Datta Bhagat’s Routes and Escape Routes and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan: Critiquing the Dalit

2021 ◽  
pp. 2455328X2199573
Author(s):  
Joydeep Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Indian Society ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial India ◽  
Large Segment ◽  
Art And Literature

This article seeks to understand Indian theatre’s take on Dalit politics of our time through a critical reading of two post-independence plays—Datta Bhagat’s Routes and Escape Routes and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan. Politically, ‘Dalit’ becomes important only after 1947 in post-independence and post-colonial India or more specifically from the 1970s. In the post-Ambedkar phase of Dalit re/configuration, they begin to self-assert through politics, art, and literature, most effectively and convincingly, only with the rise of Dalit Panthers and in the aftermath of the implementation of Mandal Commission’s recommendation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation. The article tries to examine the fresh critique of the Dalit vis-à-vis the upper caste-centric society, undertaken in this crucial context of reconfiguration and from beyond any traditional parameter of understanding, and map, through the plays, the plurality hidden within the perceived monolith of Dalit consciousness. Consequently, Dalit experiences against the backdrop of their struggle are laid bare, and unfamiliar realities come out to upset our comfortable knowledge about this large segment of Indian society.

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