Social Trends, Vol. 06

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3539

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends,


A hearty welcome to the website of Social Trends, The Journal of the Department of Sociology of North Bengal University (www.socialtrendsnbu.in). The journal made a humble beginning in 2014 and since then it has achieved some important landmarks, becoming a full-fledged refereed/peer-reviewed journal with UGC’s approval. We have published five volumes by now, one each year. In last three years there has been a gradual surge in inflow of articles and research papers from across disciplines. Though the journal has largely been a platform for the young scholars, there have been some notable contributions from celebrated members of the Indian social science fraternity too, rendering much support to us.

The Social Trends is on a mission to capture the fluid, hitherto unrecorded aspects of subjective and collective experiences in an unconventional language, while dialogically engaging with the social science discourses. We also carry forward the conviction that dialectical discourses impact the individual and collective actions and the actions, in turn, bring about changes in the discourses. It is always a delight to see that we are collectively transcending the limits of conventional academic disciplines in capturing the heterogeneous, multi-dimensional intricacies of dialectically moving self and the lifeworld. It is even more delightful to see young scholars enthusiastically participate in this promising endeavour. I would put it on record that our academic collaboration with the Research Committee (RC) on Sociology of Everyday Life of the Indian Sociological Society (ISS) has proved to be immensely beneficial, as both sides prosper in this collaboration.

The valuable counsel of the advisers, the critical comments of the referees, the active interest of the editorial team, and most importantly, the enthusiastic participation of the writers as well as readers always add value to the journal. I am sure, we will cross many more milestones in future and take the journal to new heights.

Sanjay K. Roy
31 March 2019

 

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Author: search.filters.author.Bhutia, Sonam ChodenHas files: Yes

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    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.