Identity and Purity

Chapter 4 examines the interrelationship between religion and society for followers of the non-dual Tantric Śaiva tradition. It explores the new Tantric identities created through initiation and asks how these new identities impact the larger social experience of practitioners. It then reflects on the origin of Tantric practice and maps how Tantra seeks to subvert the social caste paradigm. The chapter examines the theories about the historical spread of Tantric practice by consulting textual descriptions of practices that are prescribed for members of different castes. This offers a humanizing look at the individual needs and actions of practitioners. It makes the argument that caste erasure was limited to the ritual sphere and was therefore symbolic. The philosophical ideal of the vanquishment of caste distinction is compared with the social necessity for hierarchy. The chapter also explores the nature of auspicious and inauspicious symbols related to initiation.

LGBTQ+ CONSTRUCTION ON THE #FREETOLOVE CAMPAIGN IN CLOSE UP ADVERTISEMENT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meaning construction of the signs contained in the #FreeToLove campaign in the Close Up advertisement that constructs LGBTQ+. This study applies both Ferdinand De Saussure's theory and methodology. The analysis was deeply discussed on the #FreeToLove campaign from the advertisement shot which was considered to construct the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Others (LGBTQ+) sign through the verbal aspect in the Close Up advertisement. This campaign aims to show and fight for different types of love and mutual respect for all love on various platforms ranging from couples of different ages, social caste/class, culture/race, religion, and even same-sex relationships. In the advertisement, same-sex relationship elements are seen to be more dominant than other elements. The formation of the idea originated from the existence of a declaration legalizing LGBT that has been included in the law and given protection. The campaign's prejudice was more towards LGBTQ+ when Unilever, which is the owner of Close Up, also supported LGBTQ + and through the Close Up brand, which represented the closeness of the #FreeToLove campaign, began campaigning and producing advertisements and films. Prejudice can lead to acts of discrimination that can be detrimental. LGBTQ+ symbols have been included in advertisements to create a new culture that leads people to know about their existence. People who didn't know before can find out through a Close Up ad campaign in 274 places in the world.

Perceptions of the impacts of urban sprawl among urban and peri-urban dwellers of Hyderabad, India: a Latent class clustering analysis

Like many other developing countries, urban sprawl is a growing phenomenon in India, which poses socio-economic and environmental challenges that worryingly affect urban sustainability. In this study, a latent class clustering approach was used to investigate perceptions of urban sprawl among 622 urban and peri-urban dwellers in Hyderabad. The empirical results clustered the respondents into three distinct classes based on their perceptions of urban sprawl impacts: ‘undecided respondents’, ‘negative perceivers’, and ‘opportunity perceivers’. The majority of respondents were undecided with no strong views towards the impacts of urban sprawl, which may increase their vulnerability and hinder effective adaptation to the adverse economic, social and environmental effects of urban sprawl. This also provokes concerns about the effectiveness of government interventions to build public awareness of urban development and its impacts on the city. With regard to the role of demographic and socio-economic characteristics in shaping the perception of the respondents, the results revealed that social caste plays a determining role in forming dwellers’ perception. In particular, members of marginalised social castes were more likely to form positive perceptions of the impacts of urban sprawl as urban expansion generates better and stable income that improve their social status. In addition, individuals with higher levels of education were more likely to form negative or positive perceptions, implying that efforts to raise social capital could be a useful means for mitigating the impacts of urban sprawl. Finally, membership in community development organisations was a key factor in dictating membership of the negative perceivers’ class. Overall, our findings suggest that an appropriate policy framework and specific programmes are needed for enhancing dwellers’ perception towards the impacts of urban sprawl, which can enhance the design, acceptance, and implementation of a more sustainable governance of urbanisation and contribute to achieving urban sustainability in developing countries.

A qualitative exploration of perspectives of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among Indian migrants in Melbourne, Australia: how are they defined and what can we learn?

Background Although perceptions of what constitutes physical activity (PA) may vary between culturally diverse populations, very little research has explored the perceptions of PA among Indian migrants. This study aimed to identify how PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) are defined and describe how these definitions are shaped by cultural background and migration among a sample of Indian migrants living in Australia. Methods Using an exploratory qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one Indian migrants living in Melbourne (10 men and 11 women; age range: 18 to 65 years). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and analysed inductively using thematic analyses. Results Data revealed two emerging themes: 1) Holistic perspectives related to PA, where although the majority of participants described PA as “any sort of movement”, or “physical exercise”, several of these descriptions had interwoven ideas related to the mind (mind-body connect), social, cultural, and to the outdoor environment; 2) Broader perspectives for SB, where descriptions of SB as “not having movement”, “doing nothing” or “being lazy”, were shaped with ideas of purpose and duration. Women spoke about how their perspectives of PA and SB may be shaped by native Indian experiences, particularly the gender roles, social caste, and regional subcultural norms which they perceived were important to consider among women who migrate to western settings. Conclusions Cultural background is important in shaping the perspectives of PA and SB among Indian migrants in Australia. Practitioners and researchers should consider the varying perspectives of PA to communicate and promote PA among migrant populations more effectively.

DISKRIMINASI DALAM NOVEL ANAK SEMUA BANGSA KARYA PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOER DAN IMPLIKASINYA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA INDONESIA DI SMA

Abstrak Novel Anak Semua Bangsa karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Novel ini berlatar belakang kolonial Hindia Belanda. Pada kenyataannya, dalam kehidupan manusia sering terjadi banyak kasus diskriminasi yang dilakukan oleh para penguasa dan dialami oleh kaum tertindas. Diskriminasi pada novel Anak Semua Bangsa karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer tercermin dalam gambaran betapa menderita dan terpuruknya bangsa pribumi Jawa akibat kekejaman yang dilakukan penjajah Belanda. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bentuk diskriminasi dalam novel Anak Semua Bangsa karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer dan implikasinya dalam pembelajaran bahasa Indonesia di SMA. Pendekatan kualitatif digunakan pada penelitian ini, dengan jenis penelitian deskriptif.. Penelitian ini menggunakan sumber data dari novel Anak Semua Bangsa karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer dengan wujud datanya yaitu penggalan wacana dan kalimat yang mengandung diskriminasi. Hasil penelitian ditemukan 48 data yang mengandung empat bentuk diskriminasi, yaitu diskriminasi suku/etnis, ras dan agama/keyakinan sebanyak 26 data (54,17%), diskriminasi berdasarkan jenis kelamin dan gender sebanyak 8 data (16,67%), diskriminasi terhadap penderita penyakit menular sebanyak 2 data (4,16%), dan diskriminasi karena kasta sosial sebanyak 12 data (25,00%). Kata kunci: diskriminasi, novel dan implikasi. Abstract Novel Children of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. This novel has a colonial background in the Dutch East Indies. In fact, in human life cases of discrimination often occur by the authorities and experienced by the oppressed. Discrimination in Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel Anak Semua Bangsa is reflected in the description of the suffering and decline of the Javanese indigenous people due to atrocities committed by the Dutch colonialists. This study aims to describe the forms of discrimination in the novel Children of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and their implications in learning Indonesian in high school. This research uses a qualitative approach, a type of descriptive research. The source of data in this study is the novel Children of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer with the form of data that is discourse fragments and sentences that contain discrimination. The results found 48 data containing four forms of discrimination, namely ethnic / ethnic, racial and religious / belief discrimination as much as 26 data (54.17%), discrimination based on gender and gender as much as 8 data (16.67%), discrimination against infectious disease sufferers as much as 2 data (4.16%), and discrimination because of social caste as many as 12 data (25.00%). Keywords: discrimination, novels and implications.

La Bhagavad Gītā y sus interpretaciones políticas modernas

This study analyses three interpretations of Gītā that were published during the first half of the 20th century: those of Tilak, Gandhi and Ambedkar. The analysis begins with a narrative that explains the process that took place between 1785 and 1882, through which Gītā achieved the reputation of being the most representative book of the Hindus. From then on, Gītā was interpreted by Indian leaders for their own political purposes. Thus, Tilak emphasized the principles of ‘just war’ to rationalize revolutionary violence against British rule of India. Gandhi, who opposed all forms of violence, reinterpreted the Gītā as a text of non-violence. Ambedkar, one of Gandhi’s strongest rivals, warned against the conservative social philosophy present in the Gītā, as he felt that the text justified the social caste system. While Tilak’s and Ambedkar’s interpretations were textually sustainable, Gandhi’s was less so. However, Gandhi insisted on the correctness of his interpretation. Such insistence resulted in his interpretation of the Gītā eclipsing the textual intent.

Zeit der Bilder und Bilder der Zeit – Fichtes Religionskritik in ideologiekritischer Perspektive

In the framework of his religion and social criticism, Fichte expounds noteworthy approaches to ideological criticism. When it apparently comes to the belief in the autonomous content of consciousness, he calls into question the truth of it (revelation, miracle), he deciphers the social practices which are connected with it in their function as the rules in terms of social caste. Thereby, based on a subject producing law and order, he works against any duality of a divine and an earthly world. For him there exists only the earthly world in which man has to prove himself. The different forms of consciousness connected with it are understood as moments of reason which come into themselves, as “material for the imagining of one’s life of convenience”. They are manifested in a process of awareness of the imagination which constructs the world. However, they are not unfamiliar, passive reflections streaming into the subject, but are formed through an effect resulting from inseparable interweaving of these actions in malleable images. While Fichte tries to give reasons for social-emancipatorial hopes in faith or knowledge of transcendental reason, they become evidence of a dimension looking beyond the religious form; in the process of forming an image, the subjectivity passes beyond it’s inward nature, bringing knowledge and life into communion.Fichte entfaltet im Rahmen seiner Religions- und Sozialkritik bemerkenswerte ideologiekritische Ansätze. Wo es um scheinbar autonome Bewusstseinsinhalte im Glauben geht, stellt er deren Wahrheit in Frage (Offenbarung, Wunder), dechiffriert er die sich damit verbindenden sozialen Praktiken in ihrer Funktion im ständischen Herrschaftsgefüge. Dabei setzt er auf ein Gesetz und Ordnung hervorbringendes Subjekt, damit jeglicher Verdoppelung in eine himmlische und eine irdische Welt entgegen arbeitend. Für ihn gibt es einzig die irdische Welt, in der sich der Mensch bewähren muss. Die sich damit verbindenden unterschiedlichen Bewusstseinsformen werden als Momente einer zu sich kommenden Vernunft, als »Materialien zum Bilde des Einen Vernunftlebens« gefasst. Es manifestiert sich damit ein Bewusstwerden der die Welt konstituierenden Bilder. Diese sind jedoch keine dem Subjekt fremde, passiv auf ihn einströmende Ab-Bilder, sondern als in dessen Wirken formierte, folglich in dessen Tun untrennbar verwobene, bildbare Bilder. Indem Fichte im Religiösen sozial-emanzipatorische Hoffnungen rational zu begründen sucht, tritt im Glauben an bzw. Wissen um die transzendentale Vernunft eine Dimension hervor, die uber die Religionsform hinaus weist: Im Vorgang des Bildens überschreitet die Subjektivität ihre Innerlichkeit, bringt sie Wissen und Leben zur Einheit.

Transcriptomics of an extended phenotype: parasite manipulation of wasp social behaviour shifts expression of caste-related genes

Parasites can manipulate host behaviour to increase their own transmission and fitness, but the genomic mechanisms by which parasites manipulate hosts are not well understood. We investigated the relationship between the social paper wasp, Polistes dominula , and its parasite, Xenos vesparum (Insecta: Strepsiptera), to understand the effects of an obligate endoparasitoid on its host's brain transcriptome. Previous research suggests that X. vesparum shifts aspects of host social caste-related behaviour and physiology in ways that benefit the parasitoid. We hypothesized that X. vesparum -infested (stylopized) females would show a shift in caste-related brain gene expression. Specifically, we predicted that stylopized females, who would normally be workers, would show gene expression patterns resembling pre-overwintering queens (gynes), reflecting gyne-like changes in behaviour. We used RNA-sequencing data to characterize patterns of brain gene expression in stylopized females and compared these with those of unstylopized workers and gynes. In support of our hypothesis, we found that stylopized females, despite sharing numerous physiological and life-history characteristics with members of the worker caste, show gyne-shifted brain expression patterns. These data suggest that the parasitoid affects its host by exploiting phenotypic plasticity related to social caste, thus shifting naturally occurring social behaviour in a way that is beneficial to the parasitoid.

Giftedness as Property: Troubling Whiteness, Wealth, and Gifted Education in the US

The purposes of this article are to illumine the racist genealogy of gifted education policies and practices in the United States, to demonstrate how deficit discourses continue today, and to provide personal examples from the field of how educators can begin to question the status quo, resist taken-for-granted assumptions, and alternatively make substantive changes at the local level. I also aim to demonstrate how giftedness is an example of whiteness as property, or unearned white privilege, that, unintentionally or not, maintains a social caste system in schools.