On polytropy : or the natural condition of spiritual cosmopolitanism in India : the Digambar Jain case

As Jog Maya remarked to me, there are religions enough for everyone to choose, just like vegetables in the morning bazaar. Gellner 1992:70 The family was in continuous communion with a whole range of business associates, gods and men. Bayly 1983:390

The proof is in the genes? Jewish responses to DNA research

The paper explores Jewish responses to genetic research aimed at reconstructing the history of different Jewish populations. The focus is on two case studies – the book by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman devoted to DNA studies, which attempted to ‘test’ biblical tradition and the reaction of the Bene-Israel Indian Jewish community to the research on their origin. The data are analysed in the context of recent debates in science and technology studies about the biologisation of race and ethnicity. It is demonstrated that though in both cases the recipients of DNA studies stress that Jewishness is not reducible to genetics and that their tradition is correct irrespective of what the results of the tests say, they still assign genetics a significant amount of cognitive authority, quote genetic research in support of their tradition, and interpret its results to suit their own agendas. The paper suggests that genetics appears to be adding to the wide range of possible rhetorical sources of Jewish self-understanding and identification, however, it has not superseded other notions of what it means to be Jewish. It is argued that what may account for this type of engagement with population genetic research is the fact that though it is ascribed unique explanatory power in public discourse, when applied to questions about the history of human populations, it offers inferences that are open to a variety of interpretations

The Political Culture of Poaching: A case study from Northern Greece

Poaching has deep social and cultural roots and its meanings are multi-layered. This article explores the meanings attached to the practice of illegal hunting and fishing around Lake Kerkini in northern Greece. Here poaching must be considered in the context of a disordered ecosystem, where the dominance of locally maligned fish and bird species results from economic and environmental policy designed to benefit distant farmers. We conclude that poaching cannot be understood only as an individual action, but as one where collective and personal identities are defended in the face of seemingly irrevocable economic and social decline. The discussion shows that poachers identify different kinds of poaching. Some of the most apparent forms of poaching, done by local inhabitants, may be less damaging than other commercially oriented forms, including by outsiders. Poaching is motivated through a complex mix of factors. Our data lead us to discuss two manifestations of poaching (a) poaching as a form of collective resistance; and (b) poaching as a violation of culturally valued types of human-nature interaction. Some people who admit undertaking what they perceive as least detrimental forms of poaching are antagonistic towards what they construe to be truly harmful forms. Such people appear willing to act and to support actions against types of poaching they agree to be threatening. This is a message with potential importance for environmental management strategy