Chai for change? Stories of Adivasi indigeneities, self-reliance, and activism

"Chai for change?" is a story about stories. More precisely, stories of Adivasi self-reliance, Adivasi indigeneities, and Adivasi activism. At the outset of this study of narratives of Adivasi indigeneity, I posit that the indigenisation of Adivasis fulfils different objectives in the field of Development practice and international “aid” processes. I argue that the Development activists I follow in this story achieve, or attempt to achieve, these objectives through the narrativisation of Adivasi indigeneity. I analyse how a particular group of Adivasi communities try to consolidate the sustainability and permanence of their, and other disadvantaged communities’, economic self- reliance. I also show how the Development activists engaged with these Adivasi communities connect the different actors involved in these self-reliance efforts via narratives of Adivasi indigeneity. I then argue that the activists manage to enlist the large group of different Development actors – and their financial support – necessary for a shift in economic relations, through the harnessing of a particular brand of Adivasi indigeneity in their stories. This conceptualisation of indigeneity corresponds largely with essentialised eco-romanticist imaginaries of “the indigenous”, and therefore “the Adivasi”, based on internationally current, reified notions of indigeneity. Through first identifying the dominant elements of these Adivasi indigeneity narratives, and then analysing the pitfalls inherent in them, I bring to light the inconsistencies between activist-imagined Adivasi indigeneity narratives, and the multiplicity of conflicting identities of Adivasi peoples in India today. "Chai for change?" concludes by investigating, on the one hand, whether the efforts of the Adivasi activists to create a more sustainable economic system, informed by Adivasi values, help sustain a progressive and self-reliant Adivasi movement. On the other hand, I explore whether the activists’ jumping on the indigenist rhetoric bandwagon, is in fact a useful strategy for Adivasis to overcome economic inequalities, (re)enforced and (re)produced by the complex intermeshing of ethnicity and caste in India. Specifically, I examine whether narrative-intensive indigenism is a useful strategy for dealing with Adivasi intersectionality – understood as the intersection of the multiple forms of discrimination Adivasis face. Or, whether indigenism’s anachronistic elements – in particular the activists’ adherence to an ecologically romantic conceptualisation of Adivasi values – possibly render the activists’ rhetorical strategies counterproductive, and thereby create obstacles to sustaining the momentum of their movement. "Chai for change?" is thus a narrative-focussed study of how conflictual notions of Adivasi indigeneity, harnessed for “development” ends by development activists, often become unravelled and entangled in tensions and contradictions, like a snarled-up ball of narrative yarn. I argue that the social activists try to offset this tendency by continually adapting the narrative of their stories, in an attempt to attract ever new and different audiences for their Adivasi economic revolution story

Documentation of Medieval caves in southern Crimea (Ukraine) using hybrid data sources

The subject of this article is the geometric documentation of more than 500 caves cut into the soft rock of the plateau of Eski-Kermen, a medieval settlement on the highlands of the south-western Crimea. The types of caves and carved surface areas vary from very simple to extensive ones. A large number of traces and objects were recorded as basis for the understanding of the use of the caves, which were modified throughout the centuries until recent times. The aim of our sub-project is to develop a comprehensive system of effective geometric and archaeological documentation for further studies of cave settlements

"First you push them in, then you throw them out"

Die äußerst heterogenen „Adi-vasi“ („ursprüngliche EinwohnerInnen") stellen de facto die indigene Bevölkerung Indiens dar, werden jedoch im nationalen Kontext (de jure) nicht als solche anerkannt. Mit rund 80 Mio. oder 8% der indischen Gesamtbevölkerung bilden sie die global größte Konzentration indigener Völker innerhalb eines Nationalstaates, d.h. rund 23% der über 300.000 indigenen Menschen weltweit. Als ethnische Minderheiten innerhalb des indischen Nationalgefüges sind die Adivasis jedoch aufgrund fehlgeleiteter Integrationsstrategien zahlreichen – offiziell positiven, real jedoch negativen – Diskriminierungen und Bedrohungen durch nationale Entwicklungsprojekte ausgesetzt, die vor allem ihr Land und ihre Landeigentumsrechte betreffen. Für die Adivasis hat ihr Land wiederum eine identitätsstiftende, überlebenswichtige Bedeutung und dessen Verteidigung hat sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten von einem Kampf auf nationaler zu einem auf internationaler Ebene entwickelt. Das Hauptziel der Diplomarbeit besteht darin, sozialanthropologische Konzepte mit völkerrechtlichen zu indigenen Völkern zu verknüpfen, woraus sich folgende zentrale Forschungsfrage ergibt: Warum werden Adivasis ihres Landes bzw. ihrer Landrechte beraubt und kann internationales Menschenrecht in diesem Kontext Lösungsansätze bieten? Die zentrale Hypothese der Diplomarbeit greift diese beiden Aspekte auf: Die Adivasis und ihr Landrechtskampf können von der Tatsache profitieren, dass indigenen Völkern immer mehr positive Anerkennung im internationalen Recht zuteil wird, und dass, ausgehend von dieser Erkenntnis, konkrete Lösungsstrategien für die Landrechtsprobleme der Adivasis entwickelt werden können. Methodisch werden anhand von drei Case-Studies aus Südindien indigene Strategien und Umgangsweisen mit der prekären Landrechtssituation aufgezeigt und diese mit dem internationalen Menschenrechtsansatz verglichen. Hierbei werden einerseits die Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen Menschenrechtskonzeptionen (indigenen und völkerrechtlichen) beleuchtet, andererseits wie sie durch gegenseitigen Wissensaustausch voneinander profitieren können. Es kommen nicht nur ExpertInnen aus dem Völkerrecht und der Rechtsanthropologie, sondern vor allem indigene VertreterInnen zu Wort. Der Arbeit liegt ein interdisziplinärer Ansatz zugrunde und die Erkenntnisse sollen vor allem einen praktischen Wert für indigene Völker und die Menschenrechtspraxis haben

TET enzymes control antibody production and shape the mutational landscape in germinal centre B cells

Upon activation by antigen, B cells form germinal centers where they clonally expand and introduce affinity-enhancing mutations into their B cell receptor genes. Somatic mutagenesis and class switch recombination in germinal center B cells are initiated by the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Upon germinal center exit, B cells differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells. Germinal center maintenance and terminal fate choice require transcriptional reprogramming that associates with a substantial reconfiguration of DNA methylation patterns. Here we examine the role of TET proteins, enzymes that facilitate DNA demethylation and promote a permissive chromatin state by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine, in antibody-mediated immunity. Using a conditional gene ablation strategy, we show that TET2 and TET3 guide the transition of germinal center B cells to antibody-secreting plasma cells. Optimal AID expression requires TET function, and TET2 and TET3 double-deficient germinal center B cells show defects in class switch recombination. However, TET2/TET3 double-deficiency does not prevent the generation and selection of high-affinity germinal center B cells. Rather, combined TET2 and TET3 loss-of-function in germinal center B cells favors C-to-T and G-to-A transition mutagenesis, a finding that may be of significance for understanding the etiology of B cell lymphomas evolving in conditions of reduced TET function

Endolysosomal pathway activity protects cells from neurotoxic TDP-43

The accumulation of protein aggregates in neurons is a typical pathological hallmark of the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In many cases, these aggregates are composed of the 43 kDa TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP‑43). Using a yeast model for TDP‑43 proteinopathies, we observed that the vacuole (the yeast equivalent of lysosomes) markedly contributed to the degradation of TDP‑43. This clearance occurred via TDP‑43-containing vesicles fusing with the vacuole through the concerted action of the endosomal-vacuolar (or endolysosomal) pathway and autophagy. In line with its dominant role in the clearance of TDP‑43, endosomal-vacuolar pathway activity protected cells from the detrimental effects of TDP‑43. In contrast, enhanced autophagy contributed to TDP‑43 cytotoxicity, despite being involved in TDP‑43 degradation. TDP‑43’s interference with endosomal-vacuolar pathway activity may have two deleterious consequences. First, it interferes with its own degradation via this pathway, resulting in TDP‑43 accumulation. Second, it affects vacuolar proteolytic activity, which requires endosomal-vacuolar trafficking. We speculate that the latter contributes to aberrant autophagy. In sum, we propose that ameliorating endolysosomal pathway activity enhances cell survival in TDP‑43-associated diseases

Argumentation in school science : Breaking the tradition of authoritative exposition through a pedagogy that promotes discussion and reasoning

The value of argumentation in science education has become internationally recognised and has been the subject of many research studies in recent years. Successful introduction of argumentation activities in learning contexts involves extending teaching goals beyond the understanding of facts and concepts, to include an emphasis on cognitive and metacognitive processes, epistemic criteria and reasoning. The authors focus on the difficulties inherent in shifting a tradition of teaching from one dominated by authoritative exposition to one that is more dialogic, involving small-group discussion based on tasks that stimulate argumentation. The paper builds on previous research on enhancing the quality of argument in school science, to focus on how argumentation activities have been designed, with appropriate strategies, resources and modelling, for pedagogical purposes. The paper analyses design frameworks, their contexts and lesson plans, to evaluate their potential for enhancing reasoning through foregrounding the processes of argumentation. Examples of classroom dialogue where teachers adopt the frameworks/plans are analysed to show how argumentation processes are scaffolded. The analysis shows that several layers of interpretation are needed and these layers need to be aligned for successful implementation. The analysis serves to highlight the potential and limitations of the design frameworks

Calcium-Mediated Actin Reset (Caar) Mediates Acute Cell Adaptations

Actin has well established functions in cellular morphogenesis. However, it is not well understood how the various actin assemblies in a cell are kept in a dynamic equilibrium, in particular when cells have to respond to acute signals. Here, we characterize a rapid and transient actin reset in response to increased intracellular calcium levels. Within seconds of calcium influx, the formin INF2 stimulates filament polymerization at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), while cortical actin is disassembled. The reaction is then reversed within a few minutes. This Calcium-mediated actin reset (CaAR) occurs in a wide range of mammalian cell types and in response to many physiological cues. CaAR leads to transient immobilization of organelles, drives reorganization of actin during cell cortex repair, cell spreading and wound healing, and induces long-lasting changes in gene expression. Our findings suggest that CaAR acts as fundamental facilitator of cellular adaptations in response to acute signals and stress