scholarly journals From Siddis to Dalits: Racial Prejudice in India, the Legacy of the Caste System

Numen ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Jesudas Matthew Athyal
Keyword(s):  
African Diaspora ◽  
Racial Prejudice ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Socioeconomic Deprivation ◽  
African Students ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The People ◽  
Indigenous Religions ◽  
Local Traditions

The African nations and India have several common features, and both were the subjects of colonial exploitation and oppression for a long period. Yet, in recent decades, the thousands of African students in India have faced harassment and intimidation at the hands of the local public. Why is there so much hostility between the people of the two regions? What makes the African students and youth in India tick against the backdrop of xenophobia and socioeconomic deprivation? In attempting to answer these questions, this paper argues that the discrimination the African diaspora communities experience in India is rooted in India’s identity as a society built on the Hindu system of caste hierarchy. The paper further points out that the African indigenous religions and cultures, on arrival in India, blended with the local traditions in the process providing a spiritual and emotional anchor for the immigrants.

scholarly journals The Cycle of Life in The Hundred Little Flames

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Dr. A. J. Manju ◽  
Anvar P. A.
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
South India ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Caste System ◽  
Dance Music ◽  
Indian Culture ◽  
Good Path ◽  
The People ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Local Traditions

India has a variety of cultures which are more common in South India. India's culture collectively refers to the thousands of unique and distinct cultures of all the religions and communities present in India. The languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs of India vary from one place to another within the country. Indian culture has often been described as a fusion of several cultures. It's a family story, a relationship and a friendship. Ayan unravels mysteries that surround his grandfather Gopal Shanker's life. The story is simple and revolves around the protagonist, Ayan, whose life is thrown into turmoil following an unfortunate incident at a party which he attends due to peer pressure. Ayan is the symbol of the Millennial, careless young man of today who is over-imaginative of life. However, when you come to its core, Religion, caste system and local traditions are reflected in the day-to-day life of the people. Each locality has its own traditional customs based on a particular religion and caste. While Indian culture is vast, there are not many books on the subject that are not well adapted to readers ' needs. Preeti Shenoy's "A Hundred Little Flames" among the few read-friendly books. Every Modern household has modern amenities, but in its relationship, family bond, etc., the truth is lacking. In India, people used to give the relationships and bonds more values. All those good factors are vanishing in the modern days. The author highlighted these situations of Indian families and systems of today. People forget about their parents when you age and send them to old age homes. A Hundred Little Flames is a gem of a novel that continues to attract the attention of its reader. A sequel with a twist on other characters maybe wouldn't be such a bad idea. How our values were, and what importance we neglect these days, and disregard, and tells us what Gopal and Rohini can teach us. The book enlightens us on a good path and brightens our lives like hundred little flames.

Religion and Locality

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-168
Author(s):  
Hisanori Kato
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Background ◽  
Religious Movement ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Social Setting ◽  
Muslim Country ◽  
The World ◽  
Nahdlatul Ulama ◽  
Indigenous Religions ◽  
Local Traditions ◽  
Local Languages

Indonesia is known for its multicultural social setting, with approximately three hundred local ethnicities and five hundred local languages. Religions also have infiltrated into the life of Indonesia. Among six officially recognized religions, Islam occupies the majority religion in the country, and the total number of Muslims is almost two hundred million. That makes Indonesia the most populous Muslim country in the world. However, we also know that the legacy of pre-Islamic civilizations, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and indigenous religions, is still deeply rooted in Indonesian soil. With this socio-cultural background, Indonesian Islam has developed with the influence of local traditions. We see several Islamic rituals and practices that seem to have been "Indonesianized". Yet, this localized version of Islam is by no means favoured by more religiously strict Islamic groups. In 2015, Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization, launched the so-called Islam Nusantara movement, which upholds the essence of local culture in Islam. This newly-emerged religious movement also presents a profound question in relation to the authenticity of religion, that is, whether religions are able to maintain the "original" rituals and practices without historical,  geographical and regional influences. We will explore the development of the Islam Nusantara movement with this question in mind.

scholarly journals Intertwining Christian Mission, Theology, and History: A Case Study of the Basel Mission among the Thiyyas and Badagas of Kerala, 1870–1913

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Tiasa Basu Roy
Keyword(s):  
Caste System ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
Mission Theology ◽  
The People ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
History Of ◽  
Medical Aids ◽  
Basel Mission

For centuries, various denominations of Christian missionaries have contributed in a larger way towards the spread of Christianity among the people of Indian sub-continent. Each Church had its own principles of preaching the word of God and undertook welfare activities in and around the mission-stations. From establishing schools to providing medical aids, the Christian missionaries were involved in constant perseverance to improve the ‘indigenous’ societies not only in terms of amenities and opportunities, but also in spiritual aspects. Despite conversion being the prime motive, every Mission prepared ground on which their undertakings found meanings and made an impact over people’s lives. These endeavours, combining missiological and theological discourses, brought hope and success to the missionaries, and in our case study, the Basel Mission added to the history of the Christian Mission while operating in the coastal and hilly districts of Kerala during the 19th and the 20th centuries. Predominantly following the trait of Pietism, the Basel Mission emphasised practical matters more than doctrine, which was evident in the Mission activities among the Thiyyas and the Badagas of Malabar and Nilgiris, respectively. Along with addressing issues like the caste system and spreading education in the ‘backward’ regions, the most remarkable contribution of the Basel Mission established the ‘prototype’ of industries which was part of the ‘praxis practice’ model. It aimed at self-sufficiency and provided a livelihood for a number of people who otherwise had no honourable means of subsistence. Moreover, conversion in Kerala was a combination of ‘self-transformation’ and active participation which resulted in ‘enculturation’ and inception of ‘modernity’ in the region. Finally, this article shows that works of the Basel Mission weaved together its theological and missiological ideologies which determined its exclusivity as a Church denomination.

scholarly journals The Variety and Meaning of The Community Tradition of Coastal Bungo Wedung Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Mahfudlah Fajrie
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
The People ◽  
Community Effort ◽  
Village Government ◽  
Local Traditions ◽  
The Village ◽  
Depth Interviews

Bungo Village, Subdistrict of Wedung Indonesia, is one of the regions that still upholds the traditions of the region as a form of preserving culture. Along with the development of technology and science, there are many traditions in the village that are considered not modernist by the people. Therefore, some village government and community heads in the village of Bungo, Wedung District, are trying to maintain traditions in their area as a form of preserving local traditions or culture and when developed can have potential for regional income. Coastal traditions in the Bungo Village area that are still carried out include Apitan, Syawalan, and Alms of Earth, the meaning of this tradition as a form of community gratitude to God. There is a Nyadran tradition, the Panji Kusuma Cultural Kirab is a tradition carried out as a form of respect for coastal communities and in memory of the services of heroes who have established villages in the coastal region. There is also the tradition of Keong Keli, Barian, Kembang Sayang, which basically implies a form of community effort to avoid doom and danger. This research was conducted using ethnographic methods, data collection using in-depth interviews and observation. From the coastal traditions carried out by the Bungo people, it is shown that coastal communities depend on the sea for their livelihoods and the wealth of natural resources to survive.

scholarly journals The Urgency of Gresik Wooven Sarong as Local Wisdom Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (03) ◽  
pp. 1677-1686
Author(s):  
Wulandari Harjanti ◽  
Ujianto . ◽  
Akhmad Riduwan
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Mutual Cooperation ◽  
The People ◽  
Regional Community ◽  
District Government ◽  
Local Traditions

Local wisdom is seen as something that contains goodness for the lives of the people who embrace it. With the development of local industries, local excellence will become the potential for specific resources that are part of the scope of regional development planning. In one regional community in Gresik district, the community weaves traditionalist sarong and strongly holds local traditions which it considers as a legacy from their ancestors. From a tradition within a group / community comes the character in the group, this trait gives rise to local wisdom, namely; religious Islam, Mutual Cooperation and Panggungan (souvenirs) are inherent in the hospitality of the community in Gresik Regency which is pursued as a terminology in driving Small businesses in Gresik that continue to develop with the help of the Gresik district government

scholarly journals The problem of the dialogue in “Shakespeare’s text” by Yuri Dombrovsky

2020 ◽  
pp. 176-184
Author(s):  
Aleksei V. Makarychev
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Safe Distance ◽  
Special Situation ◽  
Totalitarian Regime ◽  
Common Features ◽  
The People

The article is devoted to the study of the “Shakespearean text” by Yuri Dombrovsky from the standpoint of Bakhtin dialogism. Clarifies the concept of “Shakespearean text” refers to and analyzes “Shakespearean text” by Dombrovsky, including artistic works – a trilogy of novels about Shakespeare (“Dark Lady” “Second-highest quality bed”, “Royal Rescript”) and two chapters of the novel “Dark Lady” (“Queen” and “Count Essex”), originally entered into its composition, but later was published separately, as well as two scientific and critical articles – “‘RetlandBaconSouthamptonShakespeare’: about the myth, anti-myth and biographical hypothesis” and “To Italians about Shakespeare”. The study author states that “Shakespearean text” by Yuri Dombrovsky dominated themes of tyranny and government that does not want to hear the people, of censorship, depriving the artist’s freedom of expression and the role of the artist in an unfree society. Special attention is paid to the problem of interaction between Shakespeare and monologue-authoritarian society in the artistic world created by the writer. The author hypothesizes that in the trilogy of short stories about Shakespeare, Dombrovsky addressed such problems of the totalitarian regime as censorship, cruelty and despotism of power from a relatively “safe” distance – the age of Shakespeare. The author notes the presence of a special situation of double dialogue in “Shakespearean text” by Yuri Dombrovsky: the dialogue is conducted through the Shakespearean era with the contemporary writer’s reality, power and culture. The article proves the similarity of Dombrovsky as a biographical author with the Shakespeare he portrayed, and notes the presence of common features in both writers (sacralization of creativity, impulsive character, addiction to alcohol, epileptic seizures, etc.). The conducted research allows us to conclude that Dombrovsky, attempting a dialogue with the monologue-authoritarian power, finds a voice through art, like “his” Shakespeare. Dombrovsky connects the ways of solving the problem of the artist and power with art as the only way to build a dialogue in the conditions of totalitarianism – not so much with the authorities, who are not able to hear it, as with themselves.

scholarly journals Construction of Identity in Globalized Milieu: A New Paradigm

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 191-204
Author(s):  
Manju Sharma
Keyword(s):  
External Pressure ◽  
Cultural Patterns ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Anthropological Perspective ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
Physical Mobility ◽  
The People ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Cultural Homogenization

In anthropological perspective, identity is taken from the two opposite angles; uniqueness and sameness. Uniqueness keeps the properties, which make a person distinct from the others. Sameness keeps the qualities that a person is associated with others, with groups or categories on the basis of some salient common features. This article analyzes how individual or group identity is created, reshaped and molded after physical mobility of the people, what plays roles in creating identity, what values for that, and how it can be institutionalized. The paper concludes that immigrants’ identity is constructed through the interaction among the rapidly increasing global inflows of knowledge; their own previous worldviews; the new social cultural patterns of host country; norms and values of other surrounding immigrants, and the perception of external pressure. In the process of cultural mixing, there is possibility of cultural homogenization and cultural heterogenization. Similar worldviews make the people nearer to each other which broaden the circle of ‘us’ and hence can lead toward homogenization of culture. On the other hand, dissimilarities in worldviews increase the level of ‘them’ therefore leads towards heterogenization.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v5i0.6363 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 5, 2011: 191-204 

scholarly journals CULT PLACES OF MARI AS A SYMBOL OF CULTURAL IDENTITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 678-687
Author(s):  
Vladimir Gennadyevich Kudryavtsev
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Self Defense ◽  
The People ◽  
National Movements ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Local Traditions

The article is devoted to the study of places of worship in traditional Mari culture, which are in varying degrees of sacredness. They have so far preserved artifacts and symbols that form the cultural identity of the people. The Mari religion in the most complete local traditions preserves the system of pagan cults and rites. The trend towards the revival of pagan religion and the creation of religious organizations and communities is associated with a general upsurge in national identity. This became necessary in the context of national movements as a means of ethnic self-defense and a factor of ethnocultural revival. Original ethnocultural traditions and formative elements of folk architecture are relevant and important in the design of modern architectural complexes and the creation of small architectural forms in folk architecture, landscape design, and the formation of an ethnocultural environment. Further sacralization of places of worship will contribute to the preservation of natural monuments and the manifestation of artifacts and symbols of cultural identity.

African Diaspora Academics

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibelius Amutuhaire
Keyword(s):  
African Diaspora ◽  
Brain Drain ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
African Students ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Exchange Programs ◽  
The World ◽  
Foreign Universities ◽  
The Brain

Internationalization of higher education is not new to Africa. It helped in the establishment of several African universities in the continent's post-colonial period. In addition, thousands of African students had the opportunity to study in foreign universities through various exchange programs. However, internationalization has also led to African academics migrating into the diaspora in the West and other parts of the world, leading to the phenomenon of Africa's brain drain. This chapter examined the negative consequences of the brain drain and advocates its reversal by suggesting that African diaspora academics can be mobilized to help expand capacities in African universities and education in totality. It urges African governments and university administrators to provide leadership in this regard, especially by offering sufficient incentives to African diaspora academics to help revitalize and strengthen the continent's education sector.

The Population Numbers Challenge

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Chim Richard Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Warm Water ◽  
The Political ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The People ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
World Class ◽  
Metropolitan Center ◽  
Population Numbers

What is the most important challenge Hong Kong is facing? It is not the political elections in 2017. It is not the saturation of our landfills. It is not Hong Kong Television losing its bid for a license. Rather, it is the serious population challenge that could have consequences up to the end of this century if best policies are not adopted soon and sustained for a long period. Inaction would mean the gradual demise of Hong Kong as a world-class metropolitan center. The people of Hong Kong have not fully recognized the seriousness and urgency of this challenge. The best analogy is the classic scenario of “slowly boiling a frog in warm water.” The frog is not aware of the water warming up until it is too late to reverse its fate.

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