Space and Culture, India

Women at the Crossroads: The Intersectional Dynamics of Women’s Movements in Assam

Bhanuprabha Brahma — 2024-09-27

The paper explores the mobilisation, interdependence, and organisation of the women's movement in Assam, locating it from the landmark events of the Assam Movement through a feminist lens. Instead of positioning women as passive recipients in Assam’s conflict-ridden areas, it captures the feminist recovery in the state’s men-led political movement. The study points out that while male leadership in Assam’s movements often relied on women’s involvement, women’s specific demands were frequently overlooked, and their voices were marginalised. In response, women have sought to reclaim their agency and narrate an alternative history. However, the social basis of the women’s movement is neither class nor ethnic minority but based on shared social circumstances. Therefore, studying the women’s movement in Assam, this paper considered an essential concern of feminism: dissimilarities and contrasting factors among women, depicting that gender alone does not marginalise. With a focus on this research gap, this study underscores the importance of an intersectional approach to understanding the fractured solidarity within Assam’s women’s movement, addressing a significant gap in feminist writing.

Feminisation of Extremism as a Socio-Psychological Phenomenon

Ainura Bolysbayeva — 2024-09-27

Today, religious extremism, transforming and evolving, has appeared before the world community in a new form of feminist extremism. Since the radicalisation of women affects all levels of society, from everyday life to political institutions, this problem is the most pressing at present. Therefore, this study aims to make a socio-psychological portrait of a female terrorist. The article analysed video and print interviews of six women who were convicted under the article "Terrorism". In order to fully consider this problem, media materials devoted to these women were studied. The study explored the history of feminisation of extremism, its impact on society, and methods of prevention, as well as constructed a sociological portrait of a woman influenced by extremism and indicated her motives for radicalisation. The obtained data can be used to create programmes to counter extremism and terrorism, gathering information for public lectures.

Hegemony, Power Structure and Tribal Resistance: A Subaltern Geopolitics View on Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow (2018)

John Vincent — 2024-09-27

Subaltern studies address postcolonial notions, binary oppositions, and power structures, enabling us to perceive history from an oppressed perspective. Similarly, subaltern geopolitics challenges the traditional narratives that often present the interest of the dominant community and omit the marginalised history. It provides perspectives of the dominant group with geographical imaginaries. This article aims to trace hegemony and power structures with geographical imaginaries through the theoretical framework of subaltern geopolitics in Mahaswetha Devi’s Chotti Munda and his Arrow (2018), translated by Gayatri Chakravarti Spivak. Munda tribes are connected to the land, and the acquisition of land played a pivotal role in the domination and subjugation of the natives. With the subaltern geopolitics, the process of imperialism against the Tribal community during and after the colonisation is studied. Through the lens of hegemony, the cultural exploitation of tribal communities is analysed. It also focuses on the power structure in terms of political and economic structures and elucidates the resistance of the Munda tribal community. The paper identifies three hegemonic power structures that existed during the colonial period, after the colonial period, and in the contemporary period. The article investigates the power structures imposed on Munda tribes through the ownership of the lands and the tribes’ resistance, irrespective of government. The paper brings out the significance of resistance and the importance of land in the lives of tribal people. It concludes that resistance against the authorities is the only means of their survival.

Analysing the Socio-Economic Conditions of Waste Pickers in Uttar Pradesh

Alka Gagan — 2024-09-27

Waste pickers pick up reusable and recyclable waste from roadsides, dustbins, and landfills and sell it to local scrap dealers to earn money to fulfil their daily needs. Waste pickers do this in very unhygienic and hazardous conditions. This study examines the socio-economic status of waste pickers working in Ghaziabad using the Kuppuswamy SES (2020) scale. For this, 200 waste pickers, including male and female respondents, participated in this study. IBM SPSS software was used to code and analyse the data. Correlation matrix and regression were used for analysis. The research found that although waste pickers are crucial to society, their socio-economic situation is among the lowest. 51% of waste pickers are from the lower middle class, and 42% are from the upper lower class. These waste pickers of our study are underprivileged, illiterate, and live in poor conditions. For a sustainable and decent living, they need the government to satisfy some of their needs, including free medical services, access to clean, fresh water, social safety, and training for alternative employment.

Eco-Consciousness and Eco-Semiotics in Amruta Patil’s Kari: An Exploration of Queer Ecology

Jensi Helan J — 2024-09-27

The field of ecology in literature distorted the notion of humans being the centre of all living ecosystems, striving for an “environment that is neither solipsistically anthropocentric nor blatantly anti-humanitarian” (Lauer, 2018, p.13). This led to the emergence of ecocriticism, which dealt with environmental issues through literature. “To put it succinctly, eco criticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment… [As it] takes an earth-centred approach to literary studies” (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996, p.18). Meanwhile, disregarding the societal norms constructed on sex, gender, and identity emerged queer theory, suggesting the fluidity of the human body. Despite their inherent differences, environmental criticism and queer theory have the opportunity to combine to produce a new dimension called queer ecology. This analysis aims to establish a connection between eco-criticism and queer theory, shedding light on the concept of queer ecology through the analysis of the literary text Kari.

Kari, written by the first female graphic novelist, stands as a pioneering Indian lesbian graphic novel that effectively dismantles prevailing societal norms and challenges perspectives on genderqueer individuals. Further, the analysis narrows itself to an eco-conscious approach from a queer perspective, which claims to be the main argument of the article. In its graphical representation, this analysis also focuses on the meaning nature provides us through symbols defining eco-semiotics. The purpose of the study is to contribute to a greater understanding of environmental exploitation concerning the marginalisation experienced by the queer community. The eco-conscious attitude that is looked upon from a queer perspective serves to prove the mutual interdependence between eco-critical and queer sexual desires that are often negated, ignored, exploited and marginalised amidst the dominant ideological discourses.

Role of Pedagogy in the Development and Vicissitude of Buddhism

Shurendra Ghimire — 2024-09-27

From the point of historical analysis, this study recognises the role of pedagogy in bringing vicissitude to Buddhism from its origin to now, and revisits Comte’s three-stage theory in the Indian sub-continent. It also demystifies religious philosophy by illustrating its epistemological base of origin, expansion, and reinterpretation. Information was generated from the translated Nikaya texts and other secondary texts, and analysis was carried out using a hermeneutic approach. From its origin in Varanasi in 600 BC to the Tibetan Plateau in the 20th Century, Buddhism accomplished three major turning points and some minor vicissitudes. Buddhism, whose original form is Dharma-Vinaya, a combination of doctrine and practice, emerged from the practice of the middle path, and the doctrine was developed as a byproduct. Around 300 AD, a new school, Mahayana, emerged that ascended an arhat up to the saviour God. Similarly, around 1400 AD, the noble eightfold path was revised to tantric sex and the arhat into the Tulku. While expanding the doctrine, scholars, monks, and sages interpreted and taught it as per the learners’ epistemological base by changing the content. Pedagogy is the primary cause of vicissitude in Buddhism, and new emergences are the product of fulfilling the ‘gap’ in the epistemological paradigm between the teachers and the learners.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge and Use of Contraception in Damoh District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Rahul Mishra — 2024-09-27

Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030, adopted by the United Nations. Women’s improved reproductive health is positively associated with their knowledge and adoption of contraceptives. Contraception is crucial in determining the family size, birth interval, and women's health and falls under SDG3 and SDG5. This study aimed to highlight the knowledge and use of contraceptives in the Damoh district located in Madhya Pradesh, India. We utilised primary data collected through a personal survey using a structured Interview Schedule from eight sampling units in the district. For this, we employed descriptive statistics and regression techniques for the analysis. Results reveal that a substantial share of women had knowledge of at least a single method of contraception. However, female sterilisation and pills were the most commonly known methods for women. Nonetheless, the knowledge of contraception was not found to be reflected in the adoption as nearly one-third of all women were not using any method of contraception. Further, the level of adoption of different contraceptive methods varied across socio-demographic backgrounds. Therefore, emphasis on information, education and communication (IEC) initiatives may lead to an increase in the adoption of modern contraceptives.

Government Initiatives and Its Implications in Primary Education during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Sylhet, Bangladesh

Moni Paul — 2024-09-27

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to the primary education sector globally, significantly impacting countries like Bangladesh. Focusing on the context of Bangladesh, this research aimed to explore the challenges and effectiveness of government interventions in continuing primary education. This study employed a qualitative approach to collect data from primary schools in two sub-districts (Sylhet Sadar and Sreemangal) in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. We conducted in-depth interviews with eight primary school teachers and sixteen guardians of primary-level students, as well as key informant interviews with four headmistresses of government primary schools and two Upazilas (sub-district) education officers. Respondents were purposefully selected based on various characteristics such as sex, education, economic status, teaching experience, involvement in child education, and access to information technology. The data was managed using NVivo 14 software and analysed thematically using an inductive approach. The findings highlight the varied outcomes of government efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, encompassing both successes and challenges. Positive implications include introducing a remote learning platform, innovative instructional approaches, and increased community engagement. However, the study also uncovered flaws in those initiatives, such as unequal learning opportunities, pedagogical shifts, a lack of clear instructions, a lack of child-friendly learning content, and a lack of supervision and monitoring. This research significantly advances existing knowledge by thoroughly examining government initiatives and identifying gaps specific to primary schools at the Upazila level in Bangladesh. The practical implications of these initiatives provide invaluable insights for policymakers and stakeholders shaping educational strategies during emergencies.

People-Centered Social Innovation as an Epistemological Alternative for Critical Recentering of People in the Development Agenda

Swati Banerjee — 2024-09-27

There are many complexities in today’s world, and alternatives are needed to open up spaces for truly reconfiguring people-centeredness in the current development agenda. This editorial piece, therefore, envisages a shift in the development narrative through the conceptualisation of people-centered social innovation that provides an epistemic alternative. The effort is to accelerate people-centered change through critically recentering people, especially marginalised groups and communities. This includes understanding the contextual and structural inequities, people’s knowledges and agency emerging from their embedded context, and institutionalising empowering spaces for actors that turn the wheel of social relations for epistemic justice.