Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This paper analyses the incompetency of Indian philosophy of ‘Absoluteness’ and Western genre of classical Bildungsroman to analyse process of self-formation in an odyssey of a Dalit. The modern contemporary era negotiates post-colonial and postmodern approach to provide a heuristic view to the subjected self of a Dalit. The modernist approach takes Dissensual Bildungsroman in consideration. Om Prakash Valmiki’s Jhoothan narrates an experience of a subjugated and unheard voice and his journey of self-acculturation. The paper pre-eminently concerns for unique and experimented form of self which can provide a tantamount status to the pariah community and their culture compared with elite Hindu community and among its wide range of readers and audience.
Historiography of Caste: The Notion of the ‘Declassed’ Castes in Michel Boivin’s ‘Sufi Paradigm’
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The ethno-nationalist historiography in South Asia primarily emerged as the postcolonial critique of British colonialism. Alternatively, the anti-caste historiographers have criticized the postcolonial historiography for reflecting the similar hegemonic bias towards the possible pre-or-post colonial histories of the internally colonized classes and castes. In this article, while appreciating with epistemic humility the equally legitimate position of Michel Boivin, I interrogate the concept of the ‘declassed’ caste groups as it tends to relativize the erasure of caste, the structural aspect that is peripheral to Boivin’s avowed goal of capturing diversity instead of difference, but central to the contemporary critical anti-caste scholarship that I rely on as an alternative framework of reference. Contending his selective epistemic prioritizing of the privileged Amil, Khoja, Mirza castes, I argue that Boivin’s archival ethnography has not effectively attended to the embedded caste-based political orders. He has failed to adequately address the possible erasure of caste, thereby adding to the ahistorical portrayal of the underprivileged castes such as Kolhi, Bheel, Meghwar, and Jogi. Boivin’s rendering of the ‘Sufi Paradigm’, therefore, is in continuation with the scholarship on Sindh that undermines hierarchical differences based on caste discrimination, and facilitates Sindhi progressive intelligentsia to historicize the privileged caste myth of caste-neutral Sufi Sindh.
The ethno-nationalist historiography in South Asia primarily emerged as the postcolonial critique of British colonialism. Alternatively, the anti-caste historiographers have criticized the postcolonial historiography for reflecting the similar hegemonic bias towards the possible pre-or-post colonial histories of the internally colonized classes and castes. In this article, while appreciating with epistemic humility the equally legitimate position of Michel Boivin, I interrogate the concept of the ‘declassed’ caste groups as it tends to relativize the erasure of caste, the structural aspect that is peripheral to Boivin’s avowed goal of capturing diversity instead of difference, but central to the contemporary critical anti-caste scholarship that I rely on as an alternative framework of reference. Contending his selective epistemic prioritizing of the privileged Amil, Khoja, Mirza castes, I argue that Boivin’s archival ethnography has not effectively attended to the embedded caste-based political orders. He has failed to adequately address the possible erasure of caste, thereby adding to the ahistorical portrayal of the underprivileged castes such as Kolhi, Bheel, Meghwar, and Jogi. Boivin’s rendering of the ‘Sufi Paradigm’, therefore, is in continuation with the scholarship on Sindh that undermines hierarchical differences based on caste discrimination, and facilitates Sindhi progressive intelligentsia to historicize the privileged caste myth of caste-neutral Sufi Sindh.
Gender Matters: Reappraising the Issues of Equity, Participation and Ownership in Watershed Management
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Equal share in governance of managing natural resources is one of the strategic aspects of neoliberal developmentalism. Additionally, this process of natural resource governance (NRG) considers communities as a homogeneous entity by ignoring the cultural politics of gender division to maintain the latency and equilibrium of the existing gendered order and regime. Watershed developmental project is no exceptional in this regard. The existing empirical literature shows that the gender governance (GG) issues in development projects such as watershed is disproportionate between men and women.This article talks about GG by discussing the issues of equity, participation and ownership in NRG, and it argued that GG cannot be synonymous with gender mainstreaming. Watershed development in India has been taken to address the issues of conservation and production, but it doesn’t address the cultural politics of gendered division. Women are more inclined to be marginalized in the governance of watershed management due to the cultural politics of control and access over the ownership of the natural resource (land) which comes under the hegemonic control of their male counterparts. Women participation in watershed activities is merely for fulfilling the custom of the official quota. Considering the potential function of women participation in watershed activities, the present article seeks to explore the issues and approaches through which the participatory institutions must meet the emerging challenges. This study concludes that the role of women participation in NRG will help in the integration of various form of capital more effectively.
Equal share in governance of managing natural resources is one of the strategic aspects of neoliberal developmentalism. Additionally, this process of natural resource governance (NRG) considers communities as a homogeneous entity by ignoring the cultural politics of gender division to maintain the latency and equilibrium of the existing gendered order and regime. Watershed developmental project is no exceptional in this regard. The existing empirical literature shows that the gender governance (GG) issues in development projects such as watershed is disproportionate between men and women.This article talks about GG by discussing the issues of equity, participation and ownership in NRG, and it argued that GG cannot be synonymous with gender mainstreaming. Watershed development in India has been taken to address the issues of conservation and production, but it doesn’t address the cultural politics of gendered division. Women are more inclined to be marginalized in the governance of watershed management due to the cultural politics of control and access over the ownership of the natural resource (land) which comes under the hegemonic control of their male counterparts. Women participation in watershed activities is merely for fulfilling the custom of the official quota. Considering the potential function of women participation in watershed activities, the present article seeks to explore the issues and approaches through which the participatory institutions must meet the emerging challenges. This study concludes that the role of women participation in NRG will help in the integration of various form of capital more effectively.
Demographic Descriptions and Socio-economic Status of Tribal People Subsisting in Rarh Region of West Bengal, India
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
There is much discussion on the issue of forest-dependent livelihoods of tribes and their unique culture. It is essential to know the demographic structure of the tribal household and to understand the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The present study has attempted to analyze the demographic structure of the tribal household and to investigate the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The study mainly depends on the primary household survey. Only a base map has been collected from the secondary source. Purposive stratified random sampling technique has been used to collect primary data. A total of 150 households were surveyed. The findings indicate that the socio-economic status of the tribal household declined from east to west of the study region due to natural and human resources showing a declining trend towards the same direction. Also, the study compares inter-regional variation of different socio-economic factors. For their socio-economic empowerment, the tribal people deserve a very intensive development policy implementation with a bottom-up approach. The earlier studies are fragmented, haphazard and maximum works are on the cultural level, that’s why this study is very unique and important.
There is much discussion on the issue of forest-dependent livelihoods of tribes and their unique culture. It is essential to know the demographic structure of the tribal household and to understand the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The present study has attempted to analyze the demographic structure of the tribal household and to investigate the socio-economic status of the tribal household. The study mainly depends on the primary household survey. Only a base map has been collected from the secondary source. Purposive stratified random sampling technique has been used to collect primary data. A total of 150 households were surveyed. The findings indicate that the socio-economic status of the tribal household declined from east to west of the study region due to natural and human resources showing a declining trend towards the same direction. Also, the study compares inter-regional variation of different socio-economic factors. For their socio-economic empowerment, the tribal people deserve a very intensive development policy implementation with a bottom-up approach. The earlier studies are fragmented, haphazard and maximum works are on the cultural level, that’s why this study is very unique and important.
A Tremble in the Rails
Quotidian Beliefs and Practices in Maternal and Child Health Care: An Empirical Study Among the Irula Tribe of Tamil Nadu
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The present paper explores the cultural context of maternal and child health (MCH) care practices and beliefs of Irula tribes. It identifies the factors and analyses the pattern of their domiciliary deliveries and neonatal care among Irula, which is one of the PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) in Tamil Nadu. The paper adopted a descriptive research design based on the pilot survey and ethnographic fieldwork. It examines the health care beliefs and practices relating to maternal and neonatal care connected with a holistic view of the Irula community’s cultural dimensions. The paper also demonstrates the factors for domiciliary deliveries, non-utilization of prevailing state’s health interventions, and incentives for maternal and child health care services among the Irulas. Keeping in view the aforementioned argument, an empirical study was carried out in six Irular settlements of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
The present paper explores the cultural context of maternal and child health (MCH) care practices and beliefs of Irula tribes. It identifies the factors and analyses the pattern of their domiciliary deliveries and neonatal care among Irula, which is one of the PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) in Tamil Nadu. The paper adopted a descriptive research design based on the pilot survey and ethnographic fieldwork. It examines the health care beliefs and practices relating to maternal and neonatal care connected with a holistic view of the Irula community’s cultural dimensions. The paper also demonstrates the factors for domiciliary deliveries, non-utilization of prevailing state’s health interventions, and incentives for maternal and child health care services among the Irulas. Keeping in view the aforementioned argument, an empirical study was carried out in six Irular settlements of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
From Dalits as a Political Category to Becoming Dalits in Post-Political Conditions: Explaining the Dual Challenges in Contemporary India
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Dalit politics in India has substantially influenced the emerging post-political discourse. They have reinstated their dialectical mode of functioning in order to circumvent the dispersed social power and the disciplinary effects of civil society, albeit in its selective celebration of identity politics. However, this writing departs from locating the Dalit category as naively synonymous with the notion of victimhood of upper-caste violence. Rather, we contend that it is more important to conceive of the Dalit category in symbolic sense: to stay critical to the effects of dominant culture, lest it covertly imposes itself, and simultaneously to build and promote own counterculture with all sorts of folk forms and symbolic representation of identity that nurtures the existence and dignity of the ‘other’.
Dalit politics in India has substantially influenced the emerging post-political discourse. They have reinstated their dialectical mode of functioning in order to circumvent the dispersed social power and the disciplinary effects of civil society, albeit in its selective celebration of identity politics. However, this writing departs from locating the Dalit category as naively synonymous with the notion of victimhood of upper-caste violence. Rather, we contend that it is more important to conceive of the Dalit category in symbolic sense: to stay critical to the effects of dominant culture, lest it covertly imposes itself, and simultaneously to build and promote own counterculture with all sorts of folk forms and symbolic representation of identity that nurtures the existence and dignity of the ‘other’.
Contextualization of Curriculum: Inclusion of Caste Perspectives in Media Studies Curriculum
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article explores caste as a site of communication. It also delves into how caste is a matter of concern in everyday news reporting, news selection, programme production, media history, community media, communication for development, advertising, gender studies, new media and film. It will also attempt to illuminate the role of caste in media ownership, newsroom diversity and creative content creation. This article will further examine the mandate for the inclusion of caste as a site of communication in media pedagogy. This study will analyse the data collected using desk research. Desk research refers to secondary data or the data collected without fieldwork. The data for this article are collected by reviewing published sources, that is, books, articles, reports, and the curriculum of media studies courses offered at different universities across the country.
This article explores caste as a site of communication. It also delves into how caste is a matter of concern in everyday news reporting, news selection, programme production, media history, community media, communication for development, advertising, gender studies, new media and film. It will also attempt to illuminate the role of caste in media ownership, newsroom diversity and creative content creation. This article will further examine the mandate for the inclusion of caste as a site of communication in media pedagogy. This study will analyse the data collected using desk research. Desk research refers to secondary data or the data collected without fieldwork. The data for this article are collected by reviewing published sources, that is, books, articles, reports, and the curriculum of media studies courses offered at different universities across the country.
Exploring the Presence of Avant-Garde in the Graphic Novel: Bhimayana
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article attempts to understand the content and aesthetic of the graphic novel Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability, in determining if its nature could be understood as a work of the avant-garde. In order to do so, the article will closely examine the aesthetic style employed by the author, the essence of the story, the content and the nature of its publication. These aspects will then be linked to the various understandings of the avant-garde to find out whether the graphic novel resonates with the principles of questioning ideas, methodologies and power structures.
This article attempts to understand the content and aesthetic of the graphic novel Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability, in determining if its nature could be understood as a work of the avant-garde. In order to do so, the article will closely examine the aesthetic style employed by the author, the essence of the story, the content and the nature of its publication. These aspects will then be linked to the various understandings of the avant-garde to find out whether the graphic novel resonates with the principles of questioning ideas, methodologies and power structures.