Social Trends, Vol. 03, No. 01

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3501

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Open Access
Marxian Class Analysis in the Indian Political Context
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Roy, Saikat
Karl Marx in none of his writings has given a definition of “class”, a subject that has been widely discussed and used in social sciences. However, from his writings we can draw an understanding of not only “class” but also of what is known as “class model” of social analysis. The paper argues that an economic interpretation of class is “reductionist” because Marx has put enough emphasis on the social and political sides of class theory. The paper has also dealt with the problems associated with the application of the theory in interpreting the Indian economic, social and political order.
Open Access
Forest Policy Induced Social Exclusion: A Case Study of Forest Villages of Buxa Tiger Reserve
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Debnath, Bijoy
Annexation of forest by creating reserves through various legislations and destruction of forest resulted in loss of livelihood and marginalization of the forest dependent communities. The communities (tribal and other traditional forest dweller) depend on forest for various needs such as shelter, livelihood, culture, etc. Conservation regime had denied them all, even today they do not have the rights on the land they till. Panchayati raj institution introduced in late 1990s in forest villages (forest dependent community) face various obstacles in carrying out land based development as the land belongs to forest department. The policy of protected area brought unemployment and deprivation in livelihood for forest villagers. The paper attempts to identify this multidimensional phenomenon, encompassing livelihood, education, health, dignity and voice in determining resource allocation. The concept of ‘social exclusion’ has been applied to understand this phenomenon, as it is both cause and consequence of poverty. ‘Social exclusion’ may be conceptualized from the different ways in which disadvantage operates to circumscribe the opportunities available in a society. For the case study we have selected Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) because this forest has witnessed virtually every forest policy and act. Secondly, this forest has relatively higher concentration of forest villages than other forests of North Bengal. We may conclude that the forest dependent community or forest villagers historically had suffered worst kind of social exclusion. Commoditization of forest resources in colonial era and in independent India benefited the elite rulers, landed elites, industrialists, traders and planters. Our survey suggests that the prevailing situation in BTR in terms of functioning of panchayat, educational facilities, healthcare facilities and institution building is indicative of the worst kind of disadvantages over opportunities. A situation has emerged where peoples’ livelihood is overshadowed by the so-called prerequisites of modern conservation ethos.
Open Access
Olfactory Social Stratification
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Ghosh, Sayantan
Smell plays a crucial role in our everyday life. From dawn till night, social actors go through different types of smells, react differently and build an image on an olfactory basis. At a bazaar, we sniff out our preferred lemon or mango, we opt for our best perfume or deodorant during intimacy, we also opt for deodorants or perfumes for official purposes, but the choice of the fragrance and its intensity may vary. It is not only about food habits or self presentation but smell also plays a key role in stratifying individuals, groups and spaces. Each group in the hierarchy has a specific social and olfactory position. The social construct and olfactory construct often go hand in hand. Whether actual or not, the olfactory perception of each stratum is different. Thus, whether upper class and lower class people really smell different or not, they are socially constructed and hence are expected to smell differently. Similarly, men and women are often portrayed as having different olfactory identities. Smell tells the tale of a person – about his/her gender, caste or class position. Just like individuals and groups, spaces are also classified or stratified in terms of olfaction. It is often argued that each group in the social hierarchy has a distinct smell –whether it is real or not is not the search here. Rather this paper focuses on how each group (in terms of caste, class and gender) and space is socially constructed in specific olfactory terms and how groups and spaces are stratified in terms of olfaction. I have opted for literary sources and in-depth interviews as my method of study. This paper is an effort to reveal the relation between olfaction and social stratification.
Open Access
Culture, Politics and Identities: Debating the idea of Indian Nationalism
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Kumari, Vandana
India, like all other societies, has always experienced changes within social structure and of the structure. In both colonial and post colonial periods, India has experienced rapid changes and transformation in the sphere of identity formation in terms of caste, language, religion and region and so on. Hugely diverse populations that India was had to put up a united fight in freedom movement and even in post-colonial India the debates on identity, cultural autonomy, and on top of all nationalism have not subsided. The question of Indian nationalism has been debated by the stalwarts of India’s intellectual tradition like Gandhi, Tagore, Nehru, Ambedkar and Savarkar. In this paper an attempt has been made to revisit the nationalism debate in India.
Open Access
Nuances of Social Relations in Everyday Life
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Roy, Sanjay K.
There are complex and critical and also unconscious nuances of social relations which cannot be captured by conventional anthropological terms such as HW, BZ, FM, FS, MD and so on. The micro sociological theoretical tradition tells us to go deeper into the mind, self and the social ambience to get to the strategies individuals deploy in managing their relations and in presentation of self and in management of impression in the public, in both the front stage and back stage. By applying the autobiographical reflexive method the author of the present paper explores the close and proximate relations and the relations that are not so intimate in the family, in the extended kinship network, people in the friendship network, and the “significant others” who leave a lasting impact on the shaping up of a self. It highlights the tensions and stresses in the relations and the strategies the actors deploy in maintaining the relations in a “desired way”. The paper also discusses the core and the periphery of social relations and explains the logic behind locating the social relations in terms of priorities. Methodologically the paper argues that language is a highly inadequate means to capture the complexity of thoughts about even more complex social relations, yet the social scientists apply strategies of descriptive and interpretative phenomenology in order to construct narratives on social relations from the participants’ points of view.
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
The Migrant Nepalis in Balurghat: An Account of Adaptation and Change
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Chhetri, Kumar
The present paper is a brief descriptive account of the Nepalis in a cluster in of Balurghat town, the district town of South Dinajpur district. The Nepali households have migrated from various places in different historical periods in connection with their jobs and livelihoods. They have been living in an alienated kind of social situation, far from their own population and places of origin for generations. A long course of association and interactions with local Bengali speaking neighbours have left a permanent mark on their way of life or culture. The main observation of the paper is that despite accepting and adjusting with many cultural practices of the local dominant community the migrant Nepalis have retained their distinct cultural identity.
Open Access
Body Image: Women in Jewellery Advertisement
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Raha, Sylvia
The perspective of this article is to consider how media is utilizing the bodily attraction of women to cater the eyes of the viewers and the consumers, especially in the jewellery industry. They are dealing with the most powerful force of this universe, i.e the sensual attraction of humans. In one hand these ads are making the female audience to correlate them with the gorgeous beautiful models, to be like them, but on the other hand these ads are just exploiting the body image of women in a way. It objectifies women’s body. For jewellery advertisement women are generally produced and reproduced as decorative pieces where the image of a women turns into a ‘sign’ but this ‘sign’ is not the real sign of that particular women rather it creates simulation among the consumers. Women try to wear jewellery for all parts of the body in order to catch men’s attention on them. This paper reviews that how the body images of women in jewellery advertisement plays a crucial role in influencing consumer’s social interaction and how the modern society is dominated by the mediated image created by the mass media and/or Patriarchy. This paper also includes four case studies of renowned jewellery brands, and how they have incorporated sensual elements in their ads through women body and how body image is reflected in the ads.
Open Access
Scheduled Tribe Status and Competition for Public Sector Jobs: A Study in Kalimpong Area in Darjeeling
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Roy, D. C.
Government job plays an important role in empowering different communities particularly the Scheduled Tribe communities in their socio-economic fields. The Constitution of India through its various provisions [Article 15(A), 16(A) etc.] has reserved jobs for Scheduled Tribe Communities in various Central and State government institutions and concerns. Members of Scheduled Tribe communities are open to avail of the opportunities created by reservation in the job market. But it has been observed that even after more than six decades of the policy of reservation being in force all communities under ST category are not equally availing of the benefits of reservation because of their differential social and economic standing. The socio-economic background, outlook, educational status, location of residence, religious faiths etc. restrict different ST communities from attaining the Constitutional provisions uniformly. The already better off sections among the ST communities are in advantageous position as they attain more benefits compared to the ST communities that are economically and educationally worse off. The growth of population and inclusion of new communities under ST category have intensified the competition and widened inequality. The present paper attempts to find the status of major ST communities of Darjeeling in availing the public sector jobs. The empowerment of women among the different ST communities in specific and in proportion to the total female employees has also been investigated. Religion is seen to play an important role in attainment of education and therefore jobs. The present paper attempts to investigate the relation between education and employment among the different ST groups of the region.
Open Access
Health and Morbidity in North Bengal: A Field Report from Mahipal Village in Phansidewa Block
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Biswas, Saswati
The Alma Ata declaration of which India was a signatory promised Health for all by 2000 AD, in the year 2016 we find the government still grappling with problems of infant and maternal mortality. Tuberculosis is on the rise and new health issues like those related to environment, increasing use of pesticides and occupational hazards all contribute to the vulnerable health status of our people, leading to increasing levels of morbidity. At the same time rural people lack access to quality health care and those belonging to the poorer sections are prone to different types of morbidity due to their poor health. The present study tries to understand health and morbidity by taking up a village in the Phansidewa block of Siliguri subdivision in North Bengal.
Open Access
Changing Social Relations in a Metropolis: The Perception of the Middleclass Aged
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Roy, Sinjini
In recent years urban middleclass families are experiencing rationalization of family size, rationalization of living arrangement and large-scale dispersal of younger members in search of livelihood opportunities. The question of sociological significance is that whether all these leave a disintegrating impact on relations in the family, on the kin-group or on the neighbourhood relations. The present paper, based on empirical findings, observes that the middleclass in an urban setting face a number of stresses but they understand the value of familial and social relations, and even neighbourhood relations, in order to thwart the potentially disintegrating social forces. In the face of dispersal of the lone child in a distant city, the aged couple fall back on each other, support each other with a great deal of empathy to combat the challenges of old-age.
Open Access
Gujjars and the Electoral Politics in Rajasthan
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Patra, Soumyajit; Bera, Dibakar
The politics of the BJP has so far been a politics of mobilization whether at the state or at the central level in the truest sense, and one can realize that most often than not the basis of this mobilization is religious sentiments that appeal to the minds of the majority. The issues of the dalits or the so called “picchre barg’’ also come to agenda as a part of this mobilization politics if it is Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. The Gujjar movement in Rajasthan had brought to the fore an electoral promise of the BJP to include the Gujjars in the list of the ST of the state that helped the BJP to corner the Congress in order to get the support of the Gujjars as such. The issue was apparently simple. The Gujjar community of the Rajasthan wants ST status to have the benefit of the policy of what is sometimes called as affirmative action. But the move of the Gujjars has been opposed by the Meenas. The Gujjars and the Meenas are the two antagonistic groups in Rajasthan. The Meenas are also numerically significant in Rajasthan and play a deciding role in electoral politics. The movement of the Gujjars for the ST status has become a matter of concern for the Meenas as they are worried of losing their near-monopoly over the reserved seats for government jobs. Thus the demand for compensatory justice has led to a fear competitive claim that compels the Meenas to oppose it by all possible ways. The present paper examines how this has made the whole issue more complicated for all the political parties in that state and focuses on the nature of caste politics in Rajasthan that revolved around the demands of the Gujjars. At last under tremendous pressure government has been forced to make reservations for them as Special Backward Class.