Subhadra Mitra Channa - Böcker

Dhobis of Delhi: An Urban Ethnography from the Margins, 1974–2023 is a saga covering more than four decades of interactions with an 'untouchable' caste--the Dhobis (washermen and washerwomen), who are among Delhi's oldest inhabitants. It describes their ways of life, economy, livelihood, struggles, and adaptation to the city's changing demographic, cultural, and politico-economic profile. Utilizing an experiential perspective and a gendered and feminist approach, the author elaborates on the Dhobi identity, which is focused on their community (biradari), and discusses their struggles to be identified as skilled professionals at par with others, rejecting at the same time the political identity of being Dalit. Discarding their earlier subjugated sense of the self, the Dhobis are developing an emerging consciousness as democratic citizens, nurturing ambitions of a future where they will find acceptance as a community. To that end, the book also analyses how their marginalized caste-based occupation and skills ensure for them a livelihood and viability within the market economy. Highlighting the community's strategies and tactics of survival and resilience against all odds, Dhobis of Delhi is thus the story of a city viewed through the eyes of those who live on the lowest rung of its social hierarchy but whose contribution to the life of the city is essential, albeit invisible.

This volume explores the inherent pluralism of Hinduism through ethnographic and philosophical evidence as presented in the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay. The essays dated 1886–1936 represent a period that marked the emergence of a European-educated native intelligentsia with a rationalist outlook.The chapters cover a wide range of topics from Tree Worship in Mohenjo Daro, the origin of the Hindu Trimurti, interpretation of Avestic and Vedic Texts, to the second set of more localized chapters that cover the Muhammadan Castes of Bengal, the Tenets and Practices of a Certain Class of Faqirs in Bengal, the Theoretical History of the Goddess Yellamma, and much more. Written during a particular historical as well as intellectual period that reflected certain key patterns – a period just following the Bengal Renaissance of the nineteenth century that ushered in the ideologies of a reformative Hinduism – this volume highlights how religions of all denominations have influenced each other and appear to have mingled beliefs and practices from multiple sources. It shows how tolerance and inclusiveness along with syncretism have been part of India’s religious and social history.This book will be of interest to students and researchers of religions, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and sociology of religion. It will also be useful to those interested in inter-religious dialogues and civil society.

This volume explores the inherent pluralism of Hinduism through ethnographic and philosophical evidence as presented in the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay. The essays dated 1886–1936 represent a period that marked the emergence of a European-educated native intelligentsia with a rationalist outlook.The chapters cover a wide range of topics from Tree Worship in Mohenjo Daro, the origin of the Hindu Trimurti, interpretation of Avestic and Vedic Texts, to the second set of more localized chapters that cover the Muhammadan Castes of Bengal, the Tenets and Practices of a Certain Class of Faqirs in Bengal, the Theoretical History of the Goddess Yellamma, and much more. Written during a particular historical as well as intellectual period that reflected certain key patterns – a period just following the Bengal Renaissance of the nineteenth century that ushered in the ideologies of a reformative Hinduism – this volume highlights how religions of all denominations have influenced each other and appear to have mingled beliefs and practices from multiple sources. It shows how tolerance and inclusiveness along with syncretism have been part of India’s religious and social history.This book will be of interest to students and researchers of religions, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and sociology of religion. It will also be useful to those interested in inter-religious dialogues and civil society.

This book examines the process of domination of a civilization and the creation of a vast empire by the British in India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It explores how they extended and maintained their tenuous rule over India through coercion, violent oppression, and exploration of knowledge of this vast region and its people.Excavating archival materials, this volume looks at extensive ethnographic surveys, the study of history, cartography, archaeology, native languages, and literatures from colonial times. It takes a critical look at the attempts of unravelling the social structural principles such as caste and religious groups and also how power was used in multiple forms and contexts to establish dominance over the people of the subcontinent and its resources. The essays in this volume are from a period when the technologies of colonization were being experimented with and reect a mixed bag of admiration, derogation, and paternalism from those holding positions of power and responsibility, including some elite Indians. It further examines the emergence of a sense of nationalism, a critique of the Eurocentric views of the colonial masters, indicating the contribution of Western education to the formation of an Indian identity that finds resonance in modern times.This book will be useful to students and researchers of anthropology, sociology, public administration, modern history, colonial studies, and demography. It will also be of interest to civil servants, students of history, Indian culture and society, religions, colonial history, law, and South Asia studies.

This book examines the process of domination of a civilization and the creation of a vast empire by the British in India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It explores how they extended and maintained their tenuous rule over India through coercion, violent oppression, and exploration of knowledge of this vast region and its people.Excavating archival materials, this volume looks at extensive ethnographic surveys, the study of history, cartography, archaeology, native languages, and literatures from colonial times. It takes a critical look at the attempts of unravelling the social structural principles such as caste and religious groups and also how power was used in multiple forms and contexts to establish dominance over the people of the subcontinent and its resources. The essays in this volume are from a period when the technologies of colonization were being experimented with and reect a mixed bag of admiration, derogation, and paternalism from those holding positions of power and responsibility, including some elite Indians. It further examines the emergence of a sense of nationalism, a critique of the Eurocentric views of the colonial masters, indicating the contribution of Western education to the formation of an Indian identity that finds resonance in modern times.This book will be useful to students and researchers of anthropology, sociology, public administration, modern history, colonial studies, and demography. It will also be of interest to civil servants, students of history, Indian culture and society, religions, colonial history, law, and South Asia studies.

This book critically examines the ever-evolving relationship between gender, identity and technology, investigating how identity is shaped, expressed, and contested within virtual environments.It brings together empirical essays from various geographies including Israel, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Brazil, and India, to explore how gender constructs, religiosity, social support structures, ethical discourses, biases and toxicity weave into the digital fabric. While the digital space can build community and open up liberating possibilities, it also retains echoes of real-world social and gender dynamics. The absence of the physical body does not shield virtual spaces from deeply entrenched socio-cultural and political contexts. Through an exploration of different virtual platforms and digital apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Tinder among others, the book invites readers to contemplate the boundless possibilities and pressing challenges that arise when gendered experiences converge with the infinite expanse of the virtual space(s). The chapters in this volume offer great analytical insights into these dynamics supported by well-surmised theoretical and methodological backdrops.The book will be of interest to practitioners of social sciences, especially those interested in issues of gender and identity politics as well as research in the digital or virtual space. It will also be a valuable resource for students and researchers of anthropology and sociology.

This book critically examines the ever-evolving relationship between gender, identity and technology, investigating how identity is shaped, expressed, and contested within virtual environments.It brings together empirical essays from various geographies including Israel, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Brazil, and India, to explore how gender constructs, religiosity, social support structures, ethical discourses, biases and toxicity weave into the digital fabric. While the digital space can build community and open up liberating possibilities, it also retains echoes of real-world social and gender dynamics. The absence of the physical body does not shield virtual spaces from deeply entrenched socio-cultural and political contexts. Through an exploration of different virtual platforms and digital apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Tinder among others, the book invites readers to contemplate the boundless possibilities and pressing challenges that arise when gendered experiences converge with the infinite expanse of the virtual space(s). The chapters in this volume offer great analytical insights into these dynamics supported by well-surmised theoretical and methodological backdrops.The book will be of interest to practitioners of social sciences, especially those interested in issues of gender and identity politics as well as research in the digital or virtual space. It will also be a valuable resource for students and researchers of anthropology and sociology.

This book is an examination of gender in South Asia and its intersection with other social variables like caste and class. It spans a wide canvas in terms of different social classes, ranging from elite to Dalit women of India, and takes material from ancient texts and modern media, literature and ethnographic materials forming a historical discourse. There is an appraisal of what feminism means in the Indian context and the cross-cultural construction of patriarchy that varies in its manifestations across time and space. The readers are taken on a journey that shows how gender can only be understood in its social and historical context and as a dynamic and performative concept that emerges out of both collective imaginations and social realities. The use of descriptive and narrative style makes the book readable and enjoyable to both academic and non-academic readers.