Browsing by Subject "culture"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Open Access
Identity Crisis in a Cross-cultural Paradox: My Experience
(University of North Bengal, 2019-03) Bhutia, Sonam Choden
“Identity” is a sum total of perceptions one accepts, imbibes and is fostered on by the society. It is related to both ascribed and acquired social constructs like caste, class, religion and language. Though caste, class, religion are important components of a person’s identity it is through language that the unique ethnic, social, religion and cultural identity is expressed. Language in both written and spoken form is the factor that binds other components of a person’s identity and it is crucial for cultural preservation. Related to the issue of cultural preservation, one finds the role of language especially in case of Tibetan identity. Despite the Chinese insistence that Tibet has always been a part of China, the Tibetan religion, customs, culture and language preserve distinctive features supporting the right to self-determination and independence. In exile, Tibetans under the guidance of His Holiness Dalai Lama have been successful in keeping their identity alive. However, in the recent times, the fear of losing their identity is specially felt when there is a shift away from Tibetan language; with many scattered around the world the Tibetans are under pressure to adopt languages other than their mother tongue. Sociologically, it is stated that endogamous marriage helps in preserving racial purity and culture. Tibetans marrying outside the community face many challenges of which one is the problem of identity. As a daughter of Tibetan father, a Bhutanese mother and the wife of a Sikkimese Bhutia, the confusion arises as to where I, as an individual, stand and face Identity crisis in certain situations in my everyday life. Starting from my experience as a person faced with multiple identity “tags”, the paper attempts to bring forth issues and dilemmas of identity faced by children of mixed parentage. It also highlights the challenges and issues of identity that come up in inter-community marriages.
Open Access
Lepcha-Bhutia Relations in Sikkim from mid-Seventeenth Century to mid-Nineteenth Century: A Study of its Historiography
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Sarkar, Rupan
A study of historiography of an incident, in the sense that it is the history of history of the incident induces a new dimension in the discourse. The centrality of the study is shifted from narratives to synchronicity and dia-chronicity and to ideology and culture. Taking the example of Lepcha-Bhutia relations in Sikkim which has meandered through both cordiality and discord I propose to argue in the following pages that the historical construction is not singular.
Open Access
Rituals and Adolescent Practices in Schools of Kolkata
(University of North Bengal, 31-03-2021) Bhowmick, Arunima
Extracurricular activities (ECA), as formulated and administered by the school authorities, either have strong mandates of the state and its higher education agencies or are catapulted by the socio-cultural demands nurtured by the market in terms of ‘high-value’ education. This leads to a varied experience in terms of what is enumerated and what is practiced. An eschewed observance in terms of grandeur can be seen across different types of schools. Interestingly the constant feature that cuts across all these variations is a larger belief system supporting these celebrations, guided by some grand moral imperative and parallel cultural adaptations based on their indigenous institutional affiliations. Above all, a process of ritualization is at play in all these ceremonies, often oscillating and at times overlapping between the religious and the secular.
Open Access
Significance of “thar” in the Social Structure of the Khambu Rais: Some Observations
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Rai, Smriti
Although Khambu Rais of Darjeeling have now absorbed different mainstream religions/practices we have very little information on what originally constituted their culture/tradition. The Khambu Rais are commonly understood to be a single group but an examination of their past would reveal that innumerable sub-groups known as thars constitute what we know as Khambu Rais. This paper examines the diversity and commonality found among the Khambu Rais on the basis of their social structure. An attempt to understand the complex nature and functioning of the thars can also illuminate cultural aspects of the Khambu society of the Darjeeling hills.
Open Access
Spaces of Protection, Regimes of Exception: Anthropologists, Administrators and the Framing of the Late Colonial Discourse on Tribal Regions (1920-1950)
(University of North Bengal, 2019-03) Tewari, Saagar
In the decades leading to Indian independence, a number of anthropological works by figures like J.H. Hutton, J.P. Mills, Verrier Elwin, William Archer, Christopher von Furer-Haimendorf and, Wilfrid Vernon Grigson etc. were published at regular intervals from 1920s onwards. Taken together, there is a remarkable unity in the ideas of this ‘knot of men’2 whose writings played a crucial role in articulation of ideas and strategies designed for the protection of tribal communities in future India. These individuals were definitely not the founding fathers of this ‘tradition’ and their arguments built upon a much earlier lineage of similar anthropologically minded administrators. However, given that this period was also the twilight of the British Indian empire, their contributions were extremely significant. Without analyzing them, it is almost impossible to theorize the ‘bridge’ which connects the late colonial to the post-colonial period as far as the discourse on the Indian tribal population is concerned....