Facilitating Access to Indian Cultural Heritage

2010 ◽  
pp. 235-251
Author(s):  
Ramesh C. Gaur
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Art Objects ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
Access Rights ◽  
Ownership Rights

It is estimated that India possesses more than five million manuscripts on varied subjects lying scattered or fragmented in India and foreign collections. This invaluable and unique pool of knowledge is under threat. Recognizing the need to encompass and preserve this knowledge resource and to make these accessible to scholars and researchers, Kala Nidhi Division of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) initiated a microfilming of manuscripts programme of private and public institutions in 1989. IGNCA has, so far, microfilmed over 250000 manuscripts in 20,600 microfilm rolls, out of that 14,400 rolls have been digitized. National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) established in February 2003 seeks to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India. The digitization of over 25000 manuscripts under NMM, IGNCA and also under project mode by Cultural Informatics Laboratory (CIL), IGNCA makes largest repository of copies of manuscripts at IGNCA. Besides, IGNCA is also having a unique collection of 2500 rare books, about 1,0,5000 slides, 2000 paintings, 3000 photographs, more than 3000 hours of video recordings, art objects, 10 personal collections of eminent scholars such as Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, Prof. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan and Prof. Maheswar Neog, photo documentation work on Rock Art, and various museums in India etc. Many of these collections such as rare books, photographs etc are well covered and some are not covered under copyright laws. However, there are issues such as ownership rights, permission rights and access rights etc, which do not allow open access to these collections. As per the existing arrangements, consultation to all collections at IGNCA is allowed to all, 25% copies of the material are also allowed on cost basis. However, to get a copy of the material, user need to approach the concerned library (from where the copies have been obtained) to seek permission. This chapter attempts to describe factors considered as hindrance to providing access to Indian cultural heritage material. Lack of proper policy guidelines especially on copyright issues and intellectual property rights concerning both cultural heritage materials in original as well as in digital form are an obstacle. Open access initiatives worldwide are advocating access to even current information. Cultural heritage belongs to the humanity worldwide, therefore, access should be given to all. These issues, which may not be solved at individual level or institutional level, require debate, deliberations and formulation of policy framework at the highest level.

Facilitating Access to Indian Cultural Heritage

2013 ◽  
pp. 817-833
Author(s):  
Gaur
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Art Objects ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
Access Rights ◽  
Ownership Rights

It is estimated that India possesses more than five million manuscripts on varied subjects lying scattered or fragmented in India and foreign collections. This invaluable and unique pool of knowledge is under threat. Recognizing the need to encompass and preserve this knowledge resource and to make these accessible to scholars and researchers, Kala Nidhi Division of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) initiated a microfilming of manuscripts programme of private and public institutions in 1989. IGNCA has, so far, microfilmed over 250000 manuscripts in 20,600 microfilm rolls, out of that 14,400 rolls have been digitized. National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) established in February 2003 seeks to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India. The digitization of over 25000 manuscripts under NMM, IGNCA and also under project mode by Cultural Informatics Laboratory (CIL), IGNCA makes largest repository of copies of manuscripts at IGNCA. Besides, IGNCA is also having a unique collection of 2500 rare books, about 1,0,5000 slides, 2000 paintings, 3000 photographs, more than 3000 hours of video recordings, art objects, 10 personal collections of eminent scholars such as Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, Prof. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan and Prof. Maheswar Neog, photo documentation work on Rock Art, and various museums in India etc. Many of these collections such as rare books, photographs etc are well covered and some are not covered under copyright laws. However, there are issues such as ownership rights, permission rights and access rights etc, which do not allow open access to these collections. As per the existing arrangements, consultation to all collections at IGNCA is allowed to all, 25% copies of the material are also allowed on cost basis. However, to get a copy of the material, user need to approach the concerned library (from where the copies have been obtained) to seek permission. This chapter attempts to describe factors considered as hindrance to providing access to Indian cultural heritage material. Lack of proper policy guidelines especially on copyright issues and intellectual property rights concerning both cultural heritage materials in original as well as in digital form are an obstacle. Open access initiatives worldwide are advocating access to even current information. Cultural heritage belongs to the humanity worldwide, therefore, access should be given to all. These issues, which may not be solved at individual level or institutional level, require debate, deliberations and formulation of policy framework at the highest level.

scholarly journals Opening Access to collections: the making and using of open digitised cultural content

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 733-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Terras
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Cultural Data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to situate the activity of digitisation to increase access to cultural and heritage content alongside the objectives of the Open Access Movement (OAM). It demonstrates that increasingly open licensing of digital cultural heritage content is creating opportunities for researchers in the arts and humanities for both access to and analysis of cultural heritage materials. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily a literature and scoping review of the current digitisation licensing climate, using and embedding examples from ongoing research projects and recent writings on Open Access (OA) and digitisation to highlight both opportunities and barriers to the creation and use of digital heritage content from galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM). Findings – The digital information environment in which digitised content is created and delivered has changed phenomenally, allowing the sharing and reuse of digital data and encouraging new advances in research across the sector, although issues of licensing persist. There remain further opportunities for understanding how to: study use and users of openly available cultural and heritage content; disseminate and encourage the uptake of open cultural data; persuade other institutions to contribute their data into the commons in an open and accessible manner; build aggregation and search facilities to link across information sources to allow resource discovery; and how best to use high-performance computing facilities to analyse and process the large amounts of data the author is now seeing being made available throughout the sector. Research limitations/implications – It is hoped that by pulling together this discussion, the benefits to making material openly available have been made clear, encouraging others in the GLAM sector to consider making their collections openly available for reuse and repurposing. Practical implications – This paper will encourage others in the GLAM sector to consider licensing their collections in an open and reusable fashion. By spelling out the range of opportunities for researchers in using open cultural and heritage materials it makes a contribution to the discussion in this area. Social implications – Increasing the quantity of high-quality OA resources in the cultural heritage sector will lead to a richer research environment which will increase the understanding of history, culture and society. Originality/value – This paper has pulled together, for the first time, an overview of the current state of affairs of digitisation in the cultural and heritage sector seen through the context of the OAM. It has highlighted opportunities for researchers in the arts, humanities and social and historical sciences in the embedding of open cultural data into both their research and teaching, whilst scoping the wave of cultural heritage content which is being created from institutional repositories which are now available for research and use. As such, it is a position paper that encourages the open data agenda within the cultural and heritage sector, showing the potentials that exists for the study of culture and society when data are made open.

ACCESS TO AND CONTROL OVER LAND AS GENDERED: CONTEXTUALIZING WOMEN’S ACCESS AND OWNERSHIP RIGHTS OF LAND IN RURAL GHANA

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Dery
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Rural Ghana ◽  
Secure Access ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Access Rights ◽  
Ownership Rights ◽  
And Control ◽  
Relationship Of

Women’s access to and control over productive resources, including land, has increasingly been recognized in global discussions as a key factor in reducing poverty, ensuring food security and promoting gender equality. Indeed, this argument has been widely accepted by both feminists and development theorists since the 1980s. Based on qualitative research with 50 purposively selected men and women, this study explored the complexity of women’s access to and control over land within a specific relationship of contestations, negotiations, and manipulations with men. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. While theoretically, participants showed that women’s [secure] access to and control over land has beneficial consequences to women themselves, households and the community at large, in principle, women's access and control status was premised in the traditional framework which largely deprives women, equal access and/or control over the land. The study indicates that even though land is the most revered resource and indeed, the dominant source of income for the rural poor, especially women, gender-erected discrimination and exclusion lie at the heart of many rural women in gaining access to land. This study argues that women's weak access rights and control over land continue to perpetuate the feminization of gender inequality–while men were reported to possess primary access and control over land as the heads of households, women were argued to have secondary rights due to their ‘stranger statuses’ in their husbands’ families. Overall, the degree of access to land among women was reported to be situated within two broad contexts–marriage and inheritance.

Feminisation of Multidimensional Poverty in Rural Odisha

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surya Narayan Biswal ◽  
◽  
S. K. Mishra ◽  
M. K. Sarangi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Multidimensional Poverty ◽  
Cumulative Distribution ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Multidimensional Poverty Index ◽  
Order Stochastic Dominance ◽  
The Individual

UNDP’s 2030 agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasized gender equality in augmenting human capital and alleviating poverty. For eradication of extreme poverty and building resilience for persons who are vulnerable to poverty, SDGs calls for a pro-poor and gender-sensitive policy framework. In this context, a gender-based study on multi-dimensional aspects of poverty is highly significant. Extant literature reveals that females are more deprived in different dimensions of poverty such as education, health, living standard, empowerment, environment, autonomy and social relationship. The present study is conducted with the basic objective of examining feminization of poverty in rural areas of Jagatsinghapur district of Odisha. Seven socio-economic dimensions comprising sixteen indicators have been taken into consideration to construct the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) using the Alkire-Foster (AF) Method at the individual level. The novelty of the study lies in analyzing MPI at the individual level for rural Odisha. Higher female deprivation is observed across social groups and all occupation categories except services. Dummy variable regression analysis also supports the major findings of the study. Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function satisfies strict first-order stochastic dominance condition and substantiates the feminisation of poverty at each level of poverty cut-off across all social groups and occupational categories except for services. The findings of the study have significant implications for developing suitable policies for gender equalization and poverty alleviation.

scholarly journals File Not Found: Rarity in an Age of Digital Plenty

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doug Reside
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
The State ◽  
Web Portal ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
The One ◽  
The Web

In the first section of the submission guidelines for this esteemed journal, would-be authors are informed, “RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage uses a web-based, automated, submission system to track and review manuscripts. Manuscripts should be sent to the editor, […], through the web portal[…]” The multivalent uses of the word “manuscript” in this sentence reveal a good deal about the state of our field. This journal is dedicated to the study of manuscripts, and it is understood by most readers that the manuscripts being studied are of the “one-of-a-kind” variety (even rarer than the “rare . . .

scholarly journals [Implementation of Arts Policy in The State of Kelantan from 1990 to 2015: Analysis According to Siasah Syar‘Iyyah] Pelaksanaan Dasar Kesenian di Negeri Kelantan dari Tahun 1990 Hingga 2015: Analisis Menurut Siasah Syar ‘Iyyah

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-102
Author(s):  
Mohd Asri Che Ibrahim ◽  
Shukeri Mohamad
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
State Government ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
The State ◽  
Cultural Performance ◽  
Arts Policy ◽  
Actual Position ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
And Control

This study was conducted to determine the actual position of political syar'iyyah from the perspective of Islam and its practices in the context of the state of Kelantan, especially in the field of art and entertainment. The study also followed up with the state government and police of the arts, as well as reforms carried out from 1990 to 2015. The focus of this research focuses on the application of the basic arts and entertainment through the enforcement of the Control of Entertainment and Places of Entertainment 1998, Cultural Performance Guidelines (entertainment) Act 1998 and Control of Entertainment Enactment 2003, which became the main purpose of the exercise of political syar'iyyah. Analysis carried out on the action and reform the state government to the arts by syar'iyyah political perspective. The study employs a library and analysis of official documents such as circulars, news, enactment and guidelines issued by the state government. The study found that ijtihad and reforms undertaken during the period managed to bring about change and give the benefit to the community in Kelantan. It is hoped that this study can contribute to the enrichment of the cultural heritage of the Malay Muslims in accordance with the tenets and formation syar'iyyah political capital of the arts and entertainment that coincide with Islamic law. We hope this study will help art researchers in the future. Keywords: Siasah syar'iyyah, Arts, Policy, Kelantan, Entertainment     Artikel ini bertujuan membincangkan konsep siasah syar‘iyyah, sejarah perkembangan kesenian, polisi kerajaan Kelantan terhadap siasah syar‘iyyah dan pelaksanaannya di negeri Kelantan. Secara khusus, fokus kajian ini dilakukan bermula semasa pemerintahan TGNA pada tahun 1990 sehingga sekarang. Kajian berbentuk analisis dokumen ini bersandar kepada pemerhatian terhadap dokumen rasmi kerajaan seperti surat pekeliling, warta, enakmen dan garis panduan yang dikeluarkan oleh kerajaan Kelantan. Selain itu, data-data kajian juga turut disokong oleh pelbagai literatur lain seperti buku-buku ilmiah serta    wacana-wacana ilmiah yang berkaitan.  Hasil kajian mendapati tindakan dan pembaharuan yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Kelantan dalam bidang siasah syar’iyyah adalah berdasarkan al-Quran dan al-Sunnah serta ijtihad. Terdapat beberapa pembaharuan yang dianggap sebagai pra syarat untuk mengadakan sesuatu persembahan kesenian serta beberapa contoh perubahan dalam kesenian yang dipersembahkan di Kelantan selepas tahun 1990 hingga sekarang telah menunjukkan perubahan yang sangat ketara. Pelaksanaan dasar kesenian dan hiburan ini berjaya memberi kemaslahatan kepada rakyat, dan dalam masa yang sama ia juga berjaya mempertahankan beberapa nilai kesenian lama yang tidak bertentangan dengan Islam. Selain itu terdapat juga beberapa persembahan kesenian yang diberi roh Islam dari sudut pelaksanaannya untuk menjadi santapan hiburan terhadap masyarakat. Kajian ini menyumbang kepada pengkaryaan khazanah seni dan hiburan Islam, menjadi model terhadap pelaksanaan hiburan dan selain itu ia dapat membantu para pengkaji seni untuk menambahkan ilmu dalam bidang kesenian Islam.   Kata kunci: kesenian, hiburan, enakmen, ijtihad dan maslahah

scholarly journals Kulturarv – et begreb til forhandling

1970 ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Beate Knuth Federspiel
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Heritage Preservation ◽  
National Unity ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Normative System ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
Conservation Effort ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Cultural Conservation ◽  
Cultural Heritage Preservation

The international organisations active in the field of cultural conservation represent the normative framework for the protection of culture and heritage. Within this administrative and legal system, ideas about the overall meaning of the cultural heritage preservation concept are created and disseminated, and these have implications for museums’ obligations (collection, recording, conservation, research and communication), which collectively can be seen as society’s overall effort to preserve cultural heritage. The subject of this article is to examine how cultural conservation efforts shift focus in step with changes in society’s overall understanding of the concept of cultural heritage – which by nature is the object of these conservation efforts. The most recent UNESCO conventions on culture (The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and The Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions) testify to a growing appreciation of the value of this overall concept, focusing on people, right down to individual level – whereas focus was previously on national unity and a shared ”story” as the identification markers. The situation may seem especially justified by the distinction between tangible and intangible heritage, in which the intangible is increasingly taken into account. This article highlights key concepts and the continuing debate about their importance in the normative system. The emphasis is on the increasing value attributed to the concept of heritage, and the distinction between tangible and intangible heritage. Against this background, possible consequences for the basic conservation effort are discussed, because this is the foundation of the fundamental idea of what a museum is, as well as justifying the normative system in the field of culture. 

scholarly journals Il castello Colonna di Arnara: dal restauro del monumento alla valorizzazione del borgo antico e del suo territorio

X ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Cattaneo ◽  
Laura Baratin
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Exceptional Case ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Medieval Architecture ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Private And Public

The castle Colonna of Arnara: from the restoration of the monument to the enhancement of the ancient village and its territoryThe castle of Arnara, is located in Ciociaria in southern Lazio, in what was once the feud of the Conti of Ceccano. For the territory it is the most important monumental complex of medieval architecture. In fact, despite its small size, it is one of the few examples of fortified architecture still original in its essential lines. This castle represents an exceptional case of sedimentation and stratification, which even today, from its reading, allows us to reconstruct both its historical events and those related to the urban development of the adjacent historic village. Moreover it can be considered of priority importance also from the urbanistic point of view because it represents the first historical nucleus of Arnara. Unfortunately, today, the castle is in a bad state of conservation. With the passing of time its conditions have become more and more aggravated also because of the complex events linked to the various passages of property, of private and public nature, which have strongly influenced the management of the monument. The study of the castle of Arnara is part of the national and international debate that considers participation a key factor for the sustainable enhancement of the cultural heritage, because it promotes greater awareness of its social and economic value. The objective of the research work is to develop, taking the castle as a case study, a new approach that sees cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) as an irreplaceable heritage of knowledge and as a precious resource for economic growth, employment and social cohesion; therefore a cultural heritage seen as a driving force. In the specific case of Colonna Castle, attention has been focused on the importance of being able to activate virtuous circles around this very important place of culture, enhancing its role as a centre of knowledge and incubator of creativity and social innovation.

scholarly journals Between liberty and control: citizens’ attitudes towards Romanian state surveillance

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-205
Author(s):  
Paul Tap
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
State Surveillance ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
And Control ◽  
Source Of Information

Surveillance was extensively analyzed in the literature from multiple standpoints. Some studies looked to the temporal development of surveillance, while others analyzed the traditional theories that influenced many of the contemporary surveillance studies. All these studies define surveillance as an activity that is ubiquitous and performed globally, by multiple private and public institutions, through the involvement of specific technologies. However, little attention was paid to the perceptions of citizens about surveillance. This article addresses this gap in the literature and analyses how state surveillance is perceived by the Romanian citizens according to the socio-demographic factors (i.e., age, education, income, gender and medium of residence). The aim of the study is to explain how socio-demographic factors influence the acceptance of state surveillance. It also controls for the left-right self-placement, and the use of Facebook as source of information. The statistical analysis uses individual level data from an original survey conducted between October-November 2020. The survey was completed by 1,140 respondents, and the article uses correlation and linear regression to analyze the data. The findings illustrate that the acceptance of state surveillance is influenced by the gender, level of education and medium of residence of the individuals. The age and income of the citizens have no effect on the acceptance of state surveillance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document