Healing India : implications for peace

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The long term prospects of the post-apartheid, bilateral relationship, between South Africa and India

M.A. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2012This research report focuses on the post-Apartheid strategic partnership between South Africa and India. The partnership, which has been formally entrenched since 1997, was originally borne out of India’s commitment to the South African liberation movement during the Apartheid era. Despite South Africa’s transition to democracy, the countries’ partnership has continued to draw on its historical, emotional and political roots. This paper argues that, to date, the relationship has failed to develop a comprehensive economic foundation. Co-operation between India and South Africa also continues to be predominantly limited to mutually exclusive political support within leading international governmental organisations. This research report reaches this deduction by closely assessing the domestic and international realities that confront each respective partner, and how these realities in turn affect India and South Africa’s respective foreign policies. The substance of the partnership is explored from its theoretical, economic and political dimensions, with a particular emphasis on trade, investment, South-South co-operation and global institutional reform. It is through the analysis of these aspects of India and South Africa’s relationship that it is conclusively revealed that their partnership is almost entirely a political construct. It is argued in this research report, however, that although the relationship currently lacks any overt economic and foreign policy components, it does still hold significant potential for future growth

Towards Eco-Dharma: The Contribution of Gandhian Thought to Ecological Ethics in India

Ecological concern prompts poor and indigenous people of India to consider how a society can ensure both protection of nature and their rightful claim for a just and sustainable future. Previous discussions defended the environment while ignoring the struggles of the poor for sustenance and their religious traditions and ethical values. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi addressed similar socio-ecological concerns by adopting and adapting traditional religious and ethical notions to develop strategies for constructive, engaged resistance. The dissertation research and analysis verifies the continued relevance of the Gandhian understanding of dharma (ethics) in contemporary India as a basis for developing eco-dharma (eco-ethics) to link closely development, ecology, and religious values. The method of this study is interpretive, analytical, and critical. Françoise Houtart’s social analytical method is used to make visible and to suggest how to overcome social tensions from the perspective of marginalized and exploited peoples in India. The Indian government's development initiatives create a nexus between the eco-crisis and economic injustice, and communities’ responses. The Chipko movement seeks to protect the Himalayan forests from commercial logging. The Narmada Bachao Andolan strives to preserve the Narmada River and its forests and communities, where dam construction causes displacement. The use of Gandhian approaches by these movements provides a framework for integrating ecological concerns with people's struggles for survival. For Gandhi, dharma is a harmony of satya (truth), ahimsa (nonviolence), and sarvodaya (welfare of all). Eco-dharma is an integral, communitarian, and ecologically sensitive ethical paradigm. The study demonstrates that the Gandhian notion of dharma, implemented through nonviolent satyagraha (firmness in promoting truth), can direct community action that promotes responsible economic structures and the well-being of the biotic community and the environment. Eco-dharma calls for solidarity, constructive resistance, and ecologically and economically viable communities. The dissertation recommends that for a sustainable future, India must combine indigenous, appropriate, and small- or medium-scale industries as an alternative model of development in order to help reduce systemic poverty while enhancing ecological well-being

Novel forms of Organizing for Institutional Work: Communities as Powerhouse of Resilience, Trust and Positive Social Change

1Dottorato di Ricerca in Management (XXX ciclo), Luiss Guido Carli, Roma, 2019. Relatori: Prof. Luca Giustiniano, Prof. Tomislav Rimac (ESCI - Pompeu Fabra University).openCommunity resilience building for institutional work. Effective community building by trusting as institutional work. Collective social entrepreneurship for inclusive growth: the case of the self-employed women’s association (sewa).openDottorato di Ricerca in ManagementKELLA, CHINTANKella, Chinta

Public Choice in National Highways Financing in India:The Scope for Financial Intermediation in Enhancing Infrastructure Investment

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3225号 ; 学位の種類:博士(学術) ; 授与年月日:2011/1/24 ; 早大学位記番号:新552

The dramaturgy of ritual performances in Indian parliamentary debates

The content, style and form of MPs' performances on the floor of both Houses of the Indian Parliament has undergone dramatic change within the last decade. For example, 97% of the productive hours of the Winter (Nov-Dec) 2010 Session were lost due to intense disruption by MPs across the political spectrum seeking to stall the House. Moreover, an increasing number of Bills are debated for less than an hour, if at all, on the floor of Parliament - raising the conceptual question of whether legislation can still be considered one of parliament's key functions in India. These changes require, at the very least, an attempt to re-conceptualize the meaning and significance attributed to various tropes of parliamentary performances, including those which seemingly subvert all notions of parliamentary procedure, decorum and etiquette. In my thesis, I adopt a novel interdisciplinary analytical framework, drawing upon performance studies, microsociological dramaturgy of face-to-face interaction, interpretations of procedural invocations, rhetorical political analysis and the study of political rituals. My primary research question was whether the concept of ritual could usefully be mapped onto performances of debates in the Indian parliamentary context. I then asked what the significance of the absence or presence of rituals in this context would mean. Two case were studies selected for this analysis, namely the Prevention of Terrorism Act (2001- 2004) and the Women's Reservation Bill (1996-2011), informed by a more general ethnography of the Indian Parliament undertaken for this research. Both studies were chosen using the logic of 'extreme case study selection' as these performances exhibit extreme forms of dramaturgical violence, protest and polarized rhetoric that is increasingly reflective of the everyday performances of the Indian Parliament. In my research, I have adopted an interpretivist-constructivist approach to the ethnographic method and have conducted two tranches of field research in New Delhi for that purpose. My analysis demonstrates the presence of a diverse range of rituals of debate being performed simultaneously during the legislative process within the Indian Parliament, namely, procedural rituals, interpersonal rituals and disruptive rituals. These findings corroborate the broader argument that the study of rituals are integral to an understanding of parliamentary processes. Moreover, instead of dismissing certain aspects of performance (e.g. physical obstruction of debate) as being symptomatic of what many scholars have called the 'decline of parliament', my findings support the cause for re-signifying, or re-reading parliamentary disruption as supporting, rather than diminishing, the processes of political representation and widening the spectrum of forms of political action considered as legitimate modes of political deliberation. The evolution of these newer, sometimes disruptive, forms of representative ritual can be read into wider processes of vernacularization and mediatization currently transforming the ethos, identity and modus operandi of the Indian Parliament

Buddhists without borders : transnational pilgrimage, social engagement, and education in the land of enlightenment

L'importance de Bodhgaya sur le plan mondial est attribuable à son association avec le Bouddha, qui y aurait atteint l'illumination il ya environ 2550 ans. La plupart des bouddhistes considèrent Bodhgaya comme le site de pèlerinage le plus important du monde, qui doit être visité au moins une fois dans la vie d'un bouddhiste. Ce site sacré se trouve au Bihar, l'état le plus pauvre de l'Inde, situé au centre de ce pays. Ces dernières années, après des siècles d'existence en quasi-obscurité, Bodhgaya a refait surface et attire des millions de visiteurs internationaux. Cela transforme le simple paysage agricole en un village cosmopolite en plein essor, lequel se rempli de monastères et de temples bouddhistes exotiques, d'hôtels, de restaurants et de centres commerciaux ainsi que d'organismes de santé, d'établissements d'enseignement et de coopératives villageoises. Depuis que le temple Mahabodhi s'est mérité une place sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO en 2002, le statut de Bodhgaya sur la scène internationale a explosé : plusieurs groupes bouddhistes se ruent vers le site pour y accomplir des rituels, pour acquérir des terrains, pour développer des réseaux d'aide internationale, pour favoriser le tourisme ainsi que supporter les initiatives de développement urbain. Le caractère ouvertement international du site a transformé la vie des habitants locaux bihari qui se retrouvent dans un monde nouveau sur plusieurs plans : économique, social, culturel, linguistique, religieux, politique et imaginaire. Conséquemment, ces changements influencent la façon dont les pèlerins, d'une part, se déplacent dans les paysages physiques et imaginaires de Bodhgaya et, d'autre part, comment ceux-ci forment des récits entourant ces paysages. Bodhgaya, comme d'autres centres importants de pèlerinage et de tourisme, est devenu un carrefour culturel entre le local et le mondial. Après s'être heurtés, à Bodhgaya, à des défis sociaux, financiers et éducatifs, plusieurs pèlerins bouddhistes venus de diverses confessions ont adapté leurs pratiques traditionnelles dévotionnelles, telles que la méditation, la prière et les offrandes. Ils se sont ainsi engagés dans des services sociaux, comme le témoigne le développement d'écoles parrainées par les pèlerins, de cliniques de santé et de centres de formation professionnelle pour les communautés locales hindoues et musulmanes. L'augmentation du nombre d'organisations non-gouvernementales (ONG) bouddhistes à Bodhgaya est, d'une part, une réaction à l'échec du gouvernement en matière d'éducation, d'alimentation de santé, et de besoins de première nécessité. D'autre part, plus particulièrement en matière d'éducation, il s'agit d'une réponse à la perception bouddhiste selon laquelle l'éducation est un outil primordial de la transformation personnelle, sociale et spirituelle. Le travail social n'est pas perçu par ces pèlerins « engagés » comme étant opposé à leurs activités spirituelles. Au contraire, il fait partie intégrante de celles-ci. De cette manière, les pèlerins n'orientent pas leur sentier spirituel seulement vers la réalisation de leur propre libération. Leurs démarches visent également la guérison et la transformation de soi et de l'autre. Cette thèse étudie la façon comment le mouvement transnational de pèlerins bouddhistes privilégiés et les pratiques spécifiques de ces derniers, leurs images, leurs idées et leurs objets ont un impact sur le système local d'éducation. Plus précisément, j’étudie comment les pèlerins bouddhistes changent le terrain éducationnel en ouvrant des écoles privées et alternatives d'inspiration bouddhiste à Bodhgaya. J'étudie aussi comment la communauté agraire locale, composée surtout de biharis hindous et musulmans, perçoivent ces changements et comment ils y réagissent. J'analyse aussi comment ces écoles, entre autres les discours ainsi que les pratiques bouddhistes de celles-ci, sont assimilées, transformées, et légitimées et contestées dans le contexte local de l'éducation au Bihar, lequel est non bouddhiste et défavorisé socio-économiquement. Pour arriver à cette fin, j'ai poursuivi ma recherche en tant qu'observateur participant à Maitreya Universal Education Project School, l'une des premières écoles à Bodhgaya qui ait été fondée et qui soit toujours dirigée par une ONG bouddhique occidentale. J'ai aussi porté mon attention sur d'autres organisations étrangères d'inspiration bouddhique actives depuis longue date et qui ont eu des impacts sociaux considérables sur la communauté locale. En mettant en œuvre une approche académique qui intègre l'histoire et l'ethnographie, ainsi que des perspectives théoriques issues des domaines de l'anthropologie, des études des pèlerinages, des études bouddhiques, des études du développement international, de l'éducation holistique et de la pédagogie critique, je cherche à comprendre comment Bodhgaya s'est transformé d'un village agricole bihari pauvre et d'un lieu de pèlerinage bouddhique peu fréquenté en un centre cosmopolite sacré où apparaissent continuellement de nouvelles formes et significations associées aux pratiques religieuses. Je vise également à mettre en lumière comment la situation socio-économique actuelle de Bodhgaya influence ou n'influence pas les manières dont les pèlerins bouddhistes perçoivent, pratiquent et expérimentent le pèlerinage. Il est aussi question d'observer comment ces conditions contemporaines participent à produire de nouvelles formes de relations entre les pèlerins bouddhistes et les indiens locaux, l'éducation et le changement social étant maintenant au cœur de ces relations. Ma recherche révèle comment le discours et la pratique bouddhiste sont utilisés par les institutions locales à des fins sociales, économiques et culturelles. De ce fait, cette recherche révèle comment la communauté locale perçoit les bouddhistes : comme une menace, comme une intrusion coloniale à laquelle il faut résister ou comme une culture à laquelle il faut se plier par nécessité économique. Ces attitudes ne sont pas mutuellement exclusives. Elles révèlent un modèle complexe de relations sociales qui contribuent à la construction de la communauté locale du Bihar moderne et la communauté bouddhiste mondiale. Bien que le pèlerinage, le bouddhisme et les investissements étrangers en éducation soient tous des thèmes familiers en anthropologie et en sciences des religions, ceux-ci n'ont jamais étés juxtaposés dans une seule et même étude. Cela est encore moins le cas dans le contexte de Bodhgaya, un des sites les plus sacrés pour les bouddhistes. Cette analyse interdisciplinaire contribue à la compréhension de la migration transnationale. \ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Bouddhisme, Inde, pèlerinage, éducation, engagement social, mondialisatio

Is Web 2.0 a threat to representative democracy? A deliberation through the Australian carbon tax debate

The influence of social media is intensifying in global societies. As the technologies become cheaper and the acceptance of Web 2.0 becomes widespread, the power of social media on citizens, particularly the integrated influence of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs cannot be underestimated. In this paper, we attempt a deliberation through the lens of carbon tax debate in Australia where the influence of social media has perhaps begun to portend the role of elected representation in this representative democracy

Applying a participatory action research model to assess and address community health concerns among tribal communities in Gujarat, Western India : the potential and challenges of participatory approaches

Scheduled Tribes are a highly marginalised minority population in India as a result of discrimination and oppression of the historic caste system that still exists post-independence. Poverty is endemic amongst the tribal population along with poor health indicators disparate to those of the broader population. It is within this challenging environment of layered disparity (geographical, socio-cultural, gendered and socio-economical) in addition to tribalism, casteism and conflict with government and corporate structures, that this international collaborative research study was undertaken. Using a multi-stage approach, the objective of this study was to explore community perceptions of health issues in five rural, tribal villages in Gujarat, Western India and transform community knowledge into action. A modified framework of the widely used applied research methodology, participatory action research (PAR) was used for this study.Stage 1 generated knowledge of community health problems by applying rapid participatory appraisal (RPA). Based on the knowledge and perceptions of the local community, and using the RPA information pyramid as a framework, data was collected from each village in 2009, using a combination of semi structured interviews with community key informants, direct observation through community visits, focus group interviews and review of existing records. In total, 82 people were interviewed throughout the RPA process. Later returning to communities, a process of confirming and prioritising the health concerns was undertaken in preparation for Stage 2.Community based participatory research (CBPR), an action focused approach, was applied in Stage 2 to design action-interventions to address community prioritised health issues. In the early stages of Stage 2, the practicality of developing and implementing action-interventions was impeded by multiple contextual, social and cultural factors and the research was discontinued before completing a full cycle of PAR. To further understand the complexities of working with communities for change, insider perspectives and experiences of working with local communities towards empowerment and social change were sought from eight key informants, contributing to further understanding of the study.The results of this study reveal the priority health issues identified by the communities, uncover challenges inherent in participatory research, and present key informants’ perspectives of their work with marginalised communities. The RPA results provided a documentation of community-identified and prioritised health problems in each of the five selected study villages. Alcohol abuse was endemic in all study villages. Sanitation issues were also significant with 50% of homes in some villages having no access to toilets. Further issues of concern were environmental pollution, access to and quality of health care, road traffic safety, and underlying poverty. The employed participatory methods produced new shared knowledge unique to this study setting. For the first time, perceptions and voices of marginalised communities in these villages have been recorded, study findings compiled and distributed among the community.The transparent audit trail of activity in Stage 2 of the research combined with the documented perspectives of local social activists informed the discussion on the challenges of participatory research approaches in complex environments. It also provided information to further modify the PAR framework for future application. The resultant modified framework presents a practical approach and proposes some new improvements to practice when working with communities for knowledge generation through needs assessments, to needs-based action-interventions. Its combination of theoretical and practical considerations makes it suitable for non-government organisations (NGO), field practitioners and academics.The researcher argues that tested methodologies, approaches and methods alone cannot ensure a successful outcome to the knowledge to action transition and subsequently, PAR approaches. External factors separate from methodological decisions impact on a study and combined with the complex nature of community problems can cause less than desired outcomes. A recommendation is made for further research into these factors, as resources may be better directed by assessing if community efforts are likely to evoke action, leading to beneficial change. Whilst participatory action research is inherently challenging when applied in disadvantaged communities in complex environments, there is hope that with continual improvements community led action can bring about change for the communities where the applied research is undertaken