Meditation in Prison: Rehabilitating Prisoners from India to Bangladesh

Prisoner rehabilitation plays an essential role in the process of reforming the correctional systems and surrounding societies in order to respect inmates’ basic needs and rights and to reduce crime. This study focuses on the psychospiritual aspects of prisoner rehabilitation. It investigates the reasons and modalities, difficulties and developments regarding the introduction of meditation to Bangladeshi prisons, influenced by the Indian context. By combining literature, data analysis, fieldwork experience, and anthropological discussion, this research explores different understandings of meditation in prison, ranging from a form of self-discipline to a therapy for mental healing from the illness of crime. Many local NGOs promote different reform measures with the aim of developing prisoners’ awareness of themselves, of their individual and social skills, as wells as of laws, rights and health issues. Lack of awareness turns out to be a common element understood as a cause of criminality. Therefore, an increased awareness and a mindset change of people inside and outside the prisons would help develop the process of self-rehabilitation and other-acceptance by positively affecting individual and social health. Analyzing and sharing evolving perceptions of meditation in prison might contribute to sensitize local authorities and organizations towards innovative policies and collaborations to reduce crime and recidivism, to improve prisoners’ living conditions, and to raise awareness

Telemedicine in Pakistan: On and under the Surface

This research project examines how technology-based practices may shape human lives in general, and healthcare in particular. Telemedicine is a relatively new development in which doctors and patients can interact despite being physically apart, by using information and communication technologies. This way of giving medical care is often seen as beneficial for countries such as Pakistan, where healthcare is distributed unevenly, and parts of the population have no or little access to sufficient care. My research question is: How do telemedicine and inherent practices shape interactions between doctors and patients? The thesis is based on one month of fieldwork in Pakistan, where I conducted unstructured interviews with healthcare professionals and people working with telemedicine. The fieldwork findings are analysed in a heuristic way, by using four different philosophical and anthropological concepts regarding a specific aspect, namely surfaces. Surfaces shape the way that we are in and interact with our surroundings. They influence the way in which we perceive and are perceived. Thus, surfaces have an impact on knowledge and knowledge generation. I use surfaces as spaces and textures to think with, and to show multiple layers of telemedicine. The fieldwork findings illustrate that there is not one singular kind of telemedicine, but many and often incompatible ways in which telemedicine is practised. Through surfaces it becomes clear how these practices are connected while at the same time being mutually exclusive. First, I discuss aspects of telemedicine which are obvious and immediately visible, e.g. that certain types of medical care rely on technology. Second, I show that there are sides to telemedicine which remain hidden. Drawing on actor-network theory, healthcare can be conceptualized as a network. This network is complicated by adding technology, due to uncontrollable and invisible components. Third, I explain how telemedicine, by neglecting some human senses, fosters separation and disconnection between doctors and patients. This may make human relationships and interactions more difficult. Furthermore, telemedicine shapes the way in which human bodies are enacted and treated, highlighting concepts of fragmentation into individual parts. Fourth, telemedicine, also provides the means to connect doctors and patients, offering new styles of perceiving and communicating. With the help of the concept of surfaces, I show that telemedical practices are ambivalent and ought to be examined in detail before being incorporated into human lives and routines

Bodies, “Love” and Kidneys: The Regulation of Living Donor Donation in India and its Social Repercussions

Organ transplantation touches upon existential questions of life and death, the self and the other, and the gift and the commodity. It uniquely challenges social norms and ideas and necessitates a close analysis of cultural concepts and differences. In India, the regulation of organ donation has led to social repercussions and consequences that highlight Indian approaches to these existential questions of life, death, bodies, and social relations. The concept of brain death was introduced into the Indian legal and medical systems in 1994 with the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA, 1994). The major aims of THOA were the regulation of living donor donations to prevent illegal markets and to increase deceased donations as a solution for organ scarcity. Organ donations, while usually beneficial to the individuals who receive them, raise several ethical concerns about social justice and equality, such as where organs come from and to whom the organs should be given, as well as the concept of distributive justice. It also highlights how biomedical technologies are adapted and understood differently in diverse cultural settings, especially those that touch upon sensitive and significant topics such as death and body ownership. This thesis will analyze how THOA and its regulations pertaining to human organs have changed and shaped Indian societal norms. It will analyze how Hindu concepts of death relate and connect to transplantation and show attempts at reconciliation and integration of transplantation into Hindu belief, but also friction between the understanding of death as a process and the instantaneous “declaration” of brain death. The complexities of organ transplantation in India extend to the ethical dimension of gendered donations, in which women are far more often the donors than the recipients, but also to the logistical and bureaucratic shortcomings of the Indian medical system

Auf der Suche nach Wandel in der Politik von Timor-Leste

Die aktuelle Politik in Timor-Leste dreht sich um Persönlichkeiten, Geschichte und die Verwendung von ‚Öl-Geld‘ als Lösung für Probleme – sie ist nicht in der Lage, mit der sich schnell verändernden Welt und den Herausforderungen im eigenen Land zurechtzukommen. Ein Wandel in der Politik und der Regierungsweise ist unerlässlich, um sich mit strukturellen Problemen in der Entwicklung von Timor-Leste zu befassen. Er ist auch von Nöten, um die Relevanz und Legitimität der demokratischen Institutionen aufrechtzuerhalten

Healthcare accessibility In Singapore: The experience and health-seeking behaviour among low-skilled migrant workers in Singapore

Increasing economic globalisation creates a supply of migrant workers from less developed countries, which will engage in low-skilled jobs in developed countries in pursuit of a better income to support their family back home. The rapid development of Singapore has also contributed to the influx of migrant workers. In 2017, Singapore had a population of about 5.6 million, among which the migrant workforce accounted for up to 1.3 million, 24.4 percent of the total population (Data.gov.sg 2018a). In Singapore, low-skilled migrant workers often take up jobs in hazardous industries. Due to the hazardous nature of these jobs, it is crucial for these migrant workers to have knowledge of and access to healthcare services in Singapore. This thesis studies the healthcare accessibility and the possible health inequalities experienced by low-skilled migrant workers, holding the Work Permit for Foreign Worker pass, in The Republic of Singapore. It aims to answer the following research question: “What is the level of access to and use of healthcare services among low-skilled migrant workers in Singapore?” To achieve this, a two-month fieldwork was conducted in Singapore with a Non-Profit Organisation (NGO) known as the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME). Data for this research were collected through the use of participant observation and focus group discussions, in order to capture the individual experiences and a group perspective of the migrant workers’ experiences and challenges faced in accessing and using healthcare services in Singapore. For this research, the detailed experiences of two injured migrant workers and the group perspective of 17 migrant workers, will be narrated and analysed

Deconstructing pān: Betel quid’s journey from a medically beneficial snack to a cancerous drug

Betel quid (pān) chewing has prevailed in South Asian and South East Asian countries since ancient times as a sociocultural tradition for promoting health, strengthening relationships and personal beautification. Today over 600 million people worldwide are estimated to chew betel quid on a daily basis and it is recognized as a public health concern. Biomedical research links the growing cases of head and neck cancers in the subcontinent with the consumption of the highly addictive betel quid ingredients, areca nut and tobacco. An anthropological approach towards betel quid chewing practices suggests the biomedical perspective ignores the heterogeneity of the quid and the context wherein the consumers’ subjective and objective experiences are driven by personal, social and cultural motivations. This thesis explores the contemporary habits of betel quid consumers in Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan to find out what social and cultural factors influence initiation, continuation or discontinuation of pān chewing; what risk/benefit factors are associated with it; and how public health hazard warnings affect the behavior of consumers and traders

Zur Kriminalität gezwungen: Menschenhandel und Betrugsfabriken in Kambodscha

Getrieben von Investitionen aus China hat sich Kambodscha in den vergangenen zehn Jahren in ein Glücksspiel-Eldorado für chinesische Tourist:innen entwickelt. Bedingt durch Gesetzesänderungen und die Corona-Pandemie ist daraus ein lukratives, illegales Geschäft mit Internetbetrug und Menschenhandel entstanden

Searching for a Master Plan: An Overview of the Art of Living Foundation and an Excursion into Its Social Initiatives

The Art of Living Foundation is a religious NGO that began in India in 1981 and has grown a wide international following since. The organization offers yogic breathing courses and conducts a number of social initiatives in India and elsewhere. Despite the considerable size of the Art of Living Foundation, this religious NGO remains elusive in academic literature. Throughout this thesis, I reveal what can be learned about the organization according to previous research, as well as my own three months of field work in Delhi and Bangalore. While trying to paint an overall picture of the Art of Living Foundation, it becomes clear that it resembles a network more than a singular entity. In addition to this conclusion, I explore the contradictions between spirituality, social responsibility, and private profit, and how participants of the Art of Living Foundation seek to negate these conflicts both philosophically and practically throughout Art of Living courses and social initiatives

"Mantras: Sound, Materiality, and the Body": A Comprehensive Workshop Report

Der hybride Workshop „ Mantras: Sound, Materiality, and the Body“ fand vom 12. bis 14. Mai 2022 am Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde (ISTB) der Universität Wien (Österreich) statt. Sein Ziel war, die Entwicklung der Mantra-Forschung als Fachgebiet zu fördern, indem Synergien zwischen Wissenschaftler*innen, die sich mit Mantras beschäftigen und dabei mit unterschiedlichen Materialien, Ansätzen und Rahmenbedingungen arbeiten, angeregt wurden. Der vorliegende Bericht soll die Inhalte und Ergebnisse des Workshops einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit zugänglich machen, indem er die einzelnen Beiträge zusammenfasst und Wege für die künftige Mantra-Forschung aufzeigt. Er soll jedoch nicht nur eine Momentaufnahme des Workshops liefern, sondern auch als Instrument zur Inspiration, Entwicklung und Verortung neuer Forschungsansätze in der Mantra-Forschung dienen

Fake News und Desinformation – der Wahlkampf als Kampf um die Wahrheit

Am 9. Mai 2022 finden Präsidentschafts- und Parlamentswahlen auf den Philippinen statt und gerade auf Online-Plattformen wie Facebook und You-Tube ist ein Ringen um die Wahrheit zu beobachten. Desinformation – das bewusste Verbreiten irreführender und falscher Nachrichten, um Menschen zu täuschen – ist Teil des Wahlkampfs. Welche Gefahren in Falschmeldungen stecken und was Journalist:innen dagegen unternehmen, ist Thema dieses Blickwechsels