scholarly journals Plasticity and Marginalization in The God of Small Things: A Liquid Modern Reading

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-87
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Liquid Modernity ◽  
Constant Change ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
Small Things

The God of Small Things is set in the post-partition India which deals with the cultural and societal change and fluidity in the Indian society caused under the influence of westernized culture and societal values, while predominantly dealing with the stereotypical, discriminatory and unfair treatment of certain gender and cast. The study is an attempt to look into how people tend to be seduced by some specific cultural values and discard some others even when they are moving towards being modernized, and in this case, under a group of colonizers whose so called agenda was to teach the uncivilized the civilized ways of life. The study is conducted under the idea of Liquid Modernity by Zygmunt Bauman from which two postulates are picked. The first one being the tendency of a constant change with in a society and how the idea of modernity was the cause of decline in societal norms while the individuals are seduced by the ways of the west. The second postulate picked from Bauman’s Liquid Modernity is how he terms the society to be plastic, meaning that it is something that can constantly be reshaped regardless of where and in what state it is. Another important objective of the paper is to highlight the ways in which the plastic society challenges the traditional power structures in which women and lower castes are marginalized and suppressed by patriarchal hierarchy and caste system. Thus, the paper highlights the positive as well as negative impact of the liquid modern society and in this way this paper itself becomes a manifestation of liquid modernity in which there is no certainty or fixedness. The findings show that the characters in the selected novel are strongly influenced by the modern western values and their native culture is significantly altered by that of the English, both in positive and negative ways, and there are no fixed cultural values.

scholarly journals Caste Formation in India.

2020 ◽  
pp. 323-326
Author(s):  
Sajitha D V ◽  
Ajith Kumar M P
Keyword(s):  
Structural Feature ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Caste Politics ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Social Reformers

The purpose of this study is to look at how caste formation, a structural feature of Indian society and the changes that have taken place in caste formations over time, are used by caste in today’s society. The structure of Indian society is based on the caste system. But the caste system was only a product of the upper caste Brahmins of India. In fact, the upper castes enslaved the lower castes only for economic purposes. For that, they used caste as the first extreme. According to historians, the caste system in India was only part of a division of labor and was never caste-based. Because there is no mention in Manusmriti, Bhagavat Gita, Vedic and Later-Vedic literatues about a caste society that separates man from man on the basis of caste. That is why our social reformers proclaimed that caste evils should be eradicated from the society and they worked hard for it and succeeded to some extent. Thus, Independent India was able to build a casteless society as a result of the work of social reformers. But after independence we were able to see a caste politics. What we see today is that every political party is using caste as a tool for their vote bank during elections to consolidate their power. Therefore, caste politics is one of the major challenges facing India.

scholarly journals Changes in The Nature of social and cultural values; (District Sultanpur,U.P.) INDIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Dr. Indu Shekhar Upadhyay ◽  
Dr. Veena Upadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
The Village

Caste system is most important for Indian society. The castes found in Sultanpur district are determined on the basis of lineage and karma. The caste system is an important institution of Indian society. It is found not only in Hindu society, but also in Muslim and Christian societies. Intercaste marriage is also slowly becoming prevalent in the society. The caste system provides the basis for various work in the village or local village groups, which is necessary for social life.

scholarly journals Understanding the persistence of caste: A commentary on Cotterill, Sidanius, Bhardwaj and Kumar (2014)

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 554-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yashpal A. Jogdand ◽  
Sammyh S. Khan ◽  
Arvind Kumar Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Right Wing Authoritarianism ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
Caste Differences

We contextualise Cotterill, Sidanius, Bhardwaj, and Kumar’s (2014) paper within a broader literature on caste and collective mobilisation. Cotterill and colleagues’ paper represents a fresh and timely attempt to make sense of the persistence of caste from the perspective of Social Dominance Theory. Cotterill and colleagues, however, do not examine caste differences in the endorsement of karma, and take behavioural asymmetry among lower castes for granted. Cotterill and colleagues also adhere to a Varna model of the caste system that arguably is simplistic and benefits the upper castes of Indian society. We caution that emphasising behavioural asymmetry and endorsing the Varna model might further stigmatise lower castes, especially Dalits, and feed into a conformity bias already predominant in caste-related psychological research. We argue that the conceptualisation and operationalisation of Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation and legitimising myths in the Indian context needs to take into account the particular meaning and functions of these constructs in specific intergroup contexts, and for identity positions salient within these contexts. We contend that any examination aimed at better understanding the nature of social hierarchy and oppression within the caste system and Indian society in general remains inconclusive without including a focus on the construction and contestation of social categories and social identities.

scholarly journals West Sees East: Cultural Stereotypes in Twentieth-Century Czech Discourse about Indian Religions

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Bubík
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Indian Culture ◽  
Cultural Stereotypes ◽  
Academic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Scientific Atheism ◽  
Ideological Context

The history of the humanities suggests that no scholarly discipline or theory can function without the models and categories it generates and relies on. Since they are necessarily conditioned by the cultural and ideological context in which they are developed, however, they readily become distorting stereotypes. During its academic history, the academic study of religions has been formed by philosophical perspectives and worldviews drawn from Evolutionism, Positivism, Historicism, Scientific Atheism, Theology, and other schools of thinking. This article explores this use of stereotypes through the example of shifting perceptions of a different culture in the history of Czech understandings of Indian religions during the 20th century, on the basis of a critical analysis of Czech discourse about Indian religions in several academic disciplines: theology, philosophy, history, study of religions, sociology, etc. We see that the religions of India were repeatedly evaluated through stereotypes and a European colonial mindset of cultural values, such as the Western search for doctrinal order in the ‘Oriental chaos’, an emphasis on Western ‘activity’ as opposed to perceived Oriental ‘passivity’, or seeing Catholic hierarchy reflected in the Indian caste system. These stereotypes were also deeply entrenched in Czech popular understandings of Indian culture, despite the low levels of contact between Czech and Indian society. Both in academic and in popularized discourse, we can recognize the uncritical and mechanical adoption of models, categories and values from a Western European cultural framework rather than as a result of scholars’ empirical experience and scholarly evidence. Keywords: Czech Study of Religions, Indian Religions and Culture, Orientalism, Stereotypes

scholarly journals Women’s Representation and Resistance as Depicted in Josephine Chia’s Frog under a Coconut Shell and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things: A Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Nurrahmawati Nurrahmawati ◽  
Ida Puspita
Keyword(s):  
Caste System ◽  
Coconut Shell ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Arundhati Roy ◽  
Social Rules ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Liberal Feminism ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Small Things

This study is aimed to analyze the comparison between women’s representation and resistance in Josephine Chia’s novel Frog under a Coconut Shell from Singapore and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy from India. By using a comparative literature approach, the research focuses on the differences and similarities in women’s representation and resistance to get gender equality in Singaporean and Indian society. Chia’s novel tells the story of Soon Neo and her daughter, Josephine, who struggles to get their rights as women in the midst of patriarchal Peranakan culture in Singapore, and Roy’s novel tells the story of Ammu and her twins children, Rahel and Estha, who fight against the social rules in India that are discriminative against women and the Untouchable people (Paravan). The research employed a descriptive qualitative analysis method and the theory of liberal feminism. There are similarities in the representation of women who are considered as second class and become the objects both sexually and economically; and restrained by their patriarchal society and culture. The difference of both novels is in the caste system which regulates women's freedom only reflected in The God of Small Things. From the perspective of liberal feminism, the female characters in both novels show resistance in making decision, education, society, and economy. However, resisting inequality in economy is only reflected in Frog under a Coconut Shell while resisting inequality in society is only reflected in The God of Small Things. The direct resistance is demonstrated in verbal and non-verbal ways.

Problems of preserving the norms of Adyge khabz in the context of globalization (based on the materials of a sociological study)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Z.Kh. Guchetl ◽  
◽  
O.I. Kuskarova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Ethical Codes ◽  
The North

In this article, the authors comprehend the moral and ethical phenomenon of "Adyge habz the problems of its preservation and development in modern society in the context of globalization. The study of traditions is undoubtedly relevant in modern conditions, when many ethnic groups persistently retain interest in past values, their origins and prospects. The authors note that this problem is relevant not only for the Adygs, but also for other peoples of the North Caucasus, which have their own analogues of national moral and ethical codes. Based on the results of the conducted sociological research, it is concluded that the role of Adyghism (adygag) in the system of traditional ethno-cultural values of the Adyghes has decreased, and therefore there is a need to revive and develop the national identity of the Adyghes.

Shilpakar Mahasabha in Colonial Uttarakhand: Subjective Representation of Collective Self

2021 ◽  
pp. 2455328X2110267
Author(s):  
Isha Tamta
Keyword(s):  
Caste System ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
British Raj ◽  
Collective Self ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
Colonial Government ◽  
First Time ◽  
Subjective Representation ◽  
Different Parts

The caste system in India got transformed as a consequence of the policies of the British Raj. The introduction of the census under the colonial government, among other things, made the most direct impact because for the first time the castes have been enumerated with great details. As a result, castes immediately not only organized themselves but also formed caste associations in order to get their status recorded in the way they thought was honourable to them. Caste associations emerged over the period to pressurize the colonial administration to improve their rank in the census. This process was especially prevalent among the lower castes in different parts of India. Shilpakar Mahashaba was a case in point in Uttarakhand. Shilpakar Mahasabha claimed new advantages from the state like reservations (quotas) in educational institutions and in the civil service. Subsequently, they also became mutual aid structures. Shilpakar Mahasabha founded schools and hostels for the children of Shilpakars and led a sort of co-operative movement. Some have argued that caste associations acted like a collective enterprise with economic, social and political objectives for their caste.

scholarly journals Colonial State as ‘New Manu’? Explorations in Education Policies in Relation to Dalit and Low-Caste Education in the Nineteenth-Century India

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-107
Author(s):  
Parimala V. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Colonial Administration ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
Priestly Class ◽  
Colonial Government ◽  
Implementation Stage

The colonial state always asserted itself as a harbinger of ‘modernity’ and emphasised its role in India as a ‘civilising mission’. The 1811 Educational Minute of Governor General Minto, declared Hindus and Muslims of India as inherently corrupt and insisted on the British role as ‘civilising’. Conventionally the terms ‘modern’ and ‘civilising mission’ have been considered as offensive, and scholars have critiqued them as Eurocentric and racist. However, these terms have not been analysed at the implementation stage in India. The colonial government used these terms to actually strengthen the structures of the traditional hierarchy. When Minto declared that the education policy was to civilise Hindus and Muslims of India, it was through the ‘the dread of their religion in this world and the next’ and through strengthening and empowering the priestly class of Hindus and Muslims (Sharp, 1920, pp. 19–21). The colonial administration regarded this kind of education as the corner stone of its education policy. This article looks at the education policies of the colonial state towards lower castes in the nineteenth-century India and how these policies upheld and reinforced the caste system.

scholarly journals Changing Neighborhoods and Residents’ Health Perceptions: The Heart Healthy Hoods Qualitative Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paloma Conde ◽  
Marta Gutiérrez ◽  
María Sandín ◽  
Julia Díez ◽  
Luisa Borrell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Health Perceptions ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Constant Change

Cities, and therefore neighborhoods, are under constant change. Neighborhood changes may affect residents’ health in multiple ways. The Heart Healthy Hoods (HHH) project studies the association between neighborhood and residents’ health. Focusing on a middle–low-socioeconomic neighborhood in Madrid (Spain), our aim was to describe qualitatively its residents’ perceptions on the urban changes and their impacts on health. We designed a qualitative study using 16 semi-structured interviews including adult residents and professionals living or working in the area. Firstly, we described the perceived main social and neighborhood changes. Secondly, we studied how these neighborhood changes connected to residents’ health perceptions. Perceived major social changes were new demographic composition, new socio–cultural values and economic changes. Residents’ negative health perceptions were the reduction of social relationships, increase of stress and labor precariousness. Positive health perceptions were the creation of supportive links, assimilation of self-care activities and the change in traditional roles. Neighborhood changes yielded both negative and positive effects on residents’ health. These effects would be the result of the interrelation of different elements such as the existence or absence of social ties, family responsibilities, time availability, economic resources and access and awareness to health-promoting programs. These qualitative research results provide important insight into crafting urban health policies that may ultimately improve health outcomes in communities undergoing change.

scholarly journals LEGACY OF PATRIARCHAL GOD AND THE POLITICS OF MYTH-MAKING: LOCATING THE GENDERED POSITION IN RELIGIOUS VISUAL ART

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
Abhijit Maity
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Indian Society ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
Male Counterpart ◽  
The Family ◽  
Women In India

This essay discusses how the imagination of women in India is framed up by the gender-biased mythical representations. By looking at the mythical representations that are circulated through centuries in many popular mages, paintings and calendar-portraits, a discursive pattern can be found that has positioned women in a secondary level, belonging to men. The family itself becomes a political site in the process of normalizing women’s submissiveness to men by comparing their actions with the Goddesses. By interrogating the gendered position of Goddess like Lakshmi and her male counterpart Lord Vishnu, this essay attempts to problematize with the mode of representation in religious visual images. I conclude by arguing that these religious representations in visual images have negative impact on the Hindu women, especially, in rural areas and thus keep the unhealthy gender role intact in Indian society.

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