Caste conflict in Nigeria: The Osu/diala experience in Igboland, 1900-2017

The paper seeks to examine caste conflict in Nigeria with particular focus on the Osu/Diala experience. In Nigeria every day we experience conflicts ranging from ethnic to religious, sects to caste conflicts, while so much attention is paid to other types of conflict, little attention has been paid to the conflicts between caste group. This could be the reason for paucity of literature on caste conflicts in Nigeria. The frustration-aggression theory is used as framework of analysis with qualitative descriptive research design and a multi-disciplinary approach of historical study as methodology. The Igbo since time immemorial have been divided majorly along lines of caste with the Diala perceived to be the superior and the Osu the inferior. This division comes with some political, economic, social and cultural restrictions for the Osu caste in communities where the system is practiced. Consequently, these restrictions breed anger, hatred, anxiety, tension, frustration and aggression as the Osu continually demand equality while the Diala on the other hand want to maintain the status quo. Ultimately, conflict becomes inevitable with attendant negative consequences on the community and greater implications for the entire Igbo nationality. The paper proffers solution on how such conflict can be managed as well how the caste system can be eliminated in its entirety.

Conflict, caste and resolution: a quantitative analysis for Indian villages

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a quantitative assessment of caste-based conflict in India. The data for this paper are from the Rural Economic and Demographic Survey (REDS) of 2006 encompassing 8,659 households in 242 villages in 18 Indian states. Design/methodology/approach Using these data, the authors examine two broad issues: the sources of conflict in rural India and the degree to which these sources contribute to caste-basted, as opposed to non-caste-based conflict; the sources of conflict resolution in rural India: are some conflict-resolving agencies more effective at dealing with caste-based conflicts and others more effective with non-caste-based conflicts? Findings There was a rise in caste-based conflict over the (approximate) period 1996-2006. There are several reasons for the rise in caste-based conflict but, in the main, is the rise in assertiveness of persons belonging to India’s lower castes. In terms of conflict resolution, panchayats and prominent individuals were important in resolving village conflicts: 69 per cent of caste-based, and 65 per cent of non-caste based, conflicts were resolved by one or the other of these two agents. Originality/value This is the first attempt, using econometric methodology, to study caste conflict at a village level in India.

Kebaruan gaya ungkap dalam cerpen-cerpen berlatar budaya Bali

There are many recurring social conflicts in Bali that originate in customs and cultures such as caste conflict, exclusion (kasepekang), and issues surrounding black magic. These conflicts are often used as inspiration for Balinese writers to write literary works such as novels and short stories. From the setting story on Balinese social conflict, it can be seen how public perception of the conflict and also how the author’s style expresses social conflict through the art of literature. This article aims to find out the various social and cultural issues that inspire literary writers to write works of literature and how they deliver it so as to create works that educate and entertain. Two sets of short stories entitled Padi Dumadi (The Incarnation of Rice, 2007) by Adnyana Ole and Mandi Api (Bathed by Fire, 2008) by Aryantha Soethama, two of Bali’s leading authors. The approach used in this study is structural approach that examines the elements of the text. Analysis shows that there is a tendency of Balinese authors to raise cultural issues with a new style of expression using the element of surprise at the ending of the story.

A Political Scientist Among the Anthropologists

One of the central questions driving my research as a political scientist is understanding why ethnic conflict in multi-ethnic states revolves around one identity rather than another. Why, for example, do some regions of a diverse polity like India experience recurrent religious conflict whereas other regions experience severe caste conflict? In my book,The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence in India, I argue that these patterns of conflict are shaped by the legacies of British rule, especially the enduring divide between directly ruled provinces and indirectly ruled princely states. I contend that British administrators, in the wake of the 1857 Rebellion that they interpreted as a religious (Muslim) uprising, began to emphasize caste and tribal identities in their provincial governments, creating policies of ethnic stratification that led to increased caste and tribal conflict over the long run. Princely rulers, on the other hand, did the opposite: they implemented ethnic policies on the basis of religion, thereby creating legacies of communal violence. I defend this argument using archival research and interviews carried out in four comparative case studies (comparing two sets of contiguous provinces and princely states in Rajasthan and Kerala), one additional case study, and a statistical analysis of ethnic violence across 589 Indian districts.