University Publications
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/2863
Browse
643 results
Search Results
Item Open Access Prostitution and Slavery: A Discussion of Abolitionist Perspective(University of North Bengal, 2023) Paul, AnkitaAccording to the abolitionist position, prostitution is slavery. It is a moral evil. In this article, I will discuss the abolitionist perspective on prostitution. I will present another standpoint where sex workers are empowered and able to access agency.Item Open Access Feminist Philosophy of Art(University of North Bengal, 2023) Saha, SubhamThe feminist philosophy of art is concerned with how feminist issues are involved in aesthetics. Like feminism, feminist aesthetics show how women are objectified in art. This article will show how and why women are depicted in an objectified manner in the traditional art canon and how feminist artists react against this.Item Open Access The Role of Woman in Building Cultural Heritage of India(University of North Bengal, 2023) Ghosh, RaghunathIn our Hindu Law Manu had made such a remark: To him, gods rejoice there where women are duly honoured. He also added in this connection that if women in the society lament and are tortured, the whole kingdom will suffer owing to this leading to its complete annihilation. At the moment we do not want to judge the justifiability of such statements in details, but at best it can be said that the position of the women in ancient society was not totally neglected as it is commonly thought of. We come across the icon of Ardhanārīśvara, which is in fact a combination of half male and half female. Such an icon is of very much significance on the ground that it indicates the role of woman in our life. If a woman wants to exercise her freedom, nobody will go to resist her. Historical account shows that in India there were many women who exercised their freedom in a full-fledged manner. It is believed in Indian culture that the Divine Energy (Śakti) is manifested as the Ultimate female power in Hindu cosmology. She creates, destroys and exhibits a fierce power over all of creation. If they have such a confidence, power given to them will be utilized for the welfare of the women as well as the country. I am personally looking forward towards this ‘dawn’ of their own glorious identity lost now-a-days due to various socio-political problems.Item Open Access Roots, Nature and Extent of Gender Violence and Women Empowerment: Discourse and Reality in India(University of North Bengal, 2023) Guha, SumanaViolence against women is a deep-rooted phenomenon that can be traced back to the history of civilization. The restrictive socio-religious norms in India limit women’s choices and access to opportunities. Economic globalization has enhanced job opportunities for both men and women that has increased the number of women in the job market in India defying social norms. Nevertheless, violence against women has become an alarming concern in India. On one hand women’s increased access to job market appears as an indicator of enhancing their financial empowerment, freedom of movement etc. but violence against women, a sheer violation of human rights, undermines that empowerment. Hence, the co-existence of these positive and negative forces twined together create a very complex socio-economic environment in India. Emphasis is given to women’s empowerment because women are not just a subset of socially disadvantaged groups, but they are a crosscutting category that overlaps with all other disadvantaged groups. This paper worked with secondary (NBCR, NFHS) and primary data reveals that women empowerment and violence against women is highly positively correlated.Item Open Access Life in an Alien Culture: A Note in Self-Reflection(University of North Bengal, 2025) Sharma, Niyati RekhaThe present paper draws its inspiration from Aristotle’s declaration that man is a social animal who is incapable of living in isolation. It begins with my encounter with a place called Mahishadal, and digs into my personal journey, which led to the process of shaping and developing a sense of a ‘self ’. The paper is presented as a narrative of self-reflective and autobiographical writing, which gives an account of my new journey and shared experiences in a chronological order. It attempts to comprehend and explore everyday life practices through the description of a few incidents, focusing on the challenges and hardships I had to go through to be socially accepted in a different cultural setting. The paper narrates the dialectical phase of my journey, the experience of isolation, alienation, frustration and the moments of conforming partially to fit into the framework of ‘generalised others’. I am to unfold the process of mundane experience of interaction with both the ‘self ’ and socio-cultural environment, which has led to the development of my present identity. The paper explores the constant negotiation of ‘self ’ and social belonging, which offers an insight into the continuous interaction that showcases the individual’s survival in a new cultural milieu.Item Open Access Inclusion-Exclusion Game: The Case of the Kami, Damai and Sarki in Sikkim(University of North Bengal, 2025) Bhutia, Pema ChokiThe Kami, Damai and Sarki caste-communities of Sikkim are traditionally viewed as the ‘untouchables’, who find their place in the lowest rungs of the Nepali caste hierarchy. According to The Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Castes Order, 1978, the only Kami, Damai and Sarki who are classified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) are those who practice Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. However, the Kami, Damai and Sarki who follow Christianity or lack a Certificate of Identification (COI) are not included in the aforementioned category and are unable to obtain a Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate. While reservation and protective discrimination are in place to uplift the marginalised communities, such efforts and policies will never fully be efficacious when all the sections of the marginalised are not included in the schedule. One of the key goals of the “Reservation Policy” is upward social mobility, but including some and excluding others leads to a lopsided upliftment. Those sections of Kami, Damai and Sarki who are not a part of the SC category cannot avail the benefits of reservation in education, jobs, etc., therefore, they do not just face the caste exclusion and discrimination but are also administratively deprived. Based on the data drawn from fieldwork in Mellidara-Paiyong GPU South, Sikkim, the present paper attempts to explain the challenges faced by the Kami, Damai and Sarki who are excluded from the SC category and how this administrative exclusion translates in their everyday life. By making use of case studies, the paper seeks to highlight how everyday life experiences and interactions are impacted by inclusion in and exclusion from the Scheduled Caste Category.Item Open Access Growing up in Unfreedom: A Reflection on the Childhood Memories of Urban Middle-Class Women(University of North Bengal, 2025) Roy, SinjiniUnfreedom, cruelty, domination, and violence exist in disguise as ‘normal’ in our everyday life in social relations, in the process of growing up of children of all classes; their nature of manifestation and reasons, however, vary depending on economic, social and cultural conditions of the population. The middle class in India is located in a context which is fundamentally different from the context of the other classes, the poor and the rich. The Indian middle class now is educated, enjoys a degree of material affluence, lives in small and nuclear families, and is ambitious yet ridden with uncertainties and risks embedded in the neo-liberal social-economic order. The middle-class children in India thus grow up under the close care of their informed and conscious parents who operate in a narrow terrain of traditional normative patterns and the pressure of competition for career opportunities in the market economy. While bringing up their children, the parents consciously or unconsciously enforce their will in their children with authoritarian vigour in the name of care and support in making a successful career for them, without engaging their children in free dialogue. Growing up in such a conditioned terrain, the children, when they learn to live with agencies, realise that they lived a life of unfreedom.Item Open Access Nepali Migrant Porters in Sikkim(University of North Bengal, 2025) Gurung, VivekaIndia has remained a favoured destination of work for many migrants hailing from rural areas of far western and eastern Nepal. Among these migrants, there are some who move towards the larger metro cities in the heartland and others who travel to smaller hilly states to sell their labour. One such group are the Nepali immigrants working as porters in Sikkim. They have a historical presence and are deeply ingrained in the state economy. However, due to the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 signed between the two nations, they are classified as neither local nor foreign workers in India. Such ambiguity makes their labour status unclear and exposes them to exploitation, leaving them unprotected under labour laws. Despite facing several predicaments, these workers can exist in congruence with the host community and make a decent livelihood. The study views these migrants as social actors who can navigate through their adversities of working as unskilled labour in a politically debilitating set-up by utilising their social capital and forming social networks in everyday life to sustain themselves as well as remit to their families. The study uses primary data collected via an interview schedule with the Nepali migrants working as porters, as well as the members of the host area in Gangtok and Namchi districts of Sikkim. Secondary information is collected from relevant articles and journals.Item Open Access Calcutta as a Site of Post-colonial Identity Formation: Interactions and Experiences of the Anglo-Indian Community(University of North Bengal, 2025) Das, SuchismitaThe Anglo-Indian community of Calcutta, a product of British colonial rule, occupies a unique cultural and social space within the city. Historically positioned between the British and Indian populations, they developed distinct identity markers such as the English language, Christianity, Western attire, and cuisine. However, their identity has never been static; rather, it has undergone significant transformations, particularly in postcolonial Calcutta. This paper explores how the Anglo-Indian community of Calcutta navigates its identity in a postcolonial urban landscape, engaging with issues of cultural hybridity, spatial belonging, and social adaptation. Through an ethnographic lens, the study examines the evolving identity markers of Anglo-Indians in the city, highlighting the impact of migration, cultural assimilation, and interactions with the dominant Bengali Hindu and Muslim communities. Everyday spaces such as neighbourhoods, churches, schools, and workplaces serve as sites where their identity is negotiated and performed. The paper discusses how language use, dress patterns, food habits, and social practices reflect a process of adaptation and localisation while still retaining elements of their colonial heritage. It also addresses how the challenges of identity labelling and stereotyping influence both internal self-perception and external social integration. Drawing from postcolonial theories and urban ethnography, the study argues that the Anglo-Indian identity in Calcutta is neither fixed nor easily defined. Instead, it remains fluid, shaped by historical legacies, contemporary social realities, and individual agency.Item Open Access Introspecting the Gendered Body through Women’s Everyday Experiences(University of North Bengal, 2025) Rai, SunainaIn the modern somatic upsurge, women’s bodies remain trapped in the idealised body images and beauty standards endorsed by the dominant media, beauty industries and fitness centres. Arguably, the process of curating the body ideal, as well as the awareness and practice of the perfect among the women, styles the body as highly gendered. The body manipulation related to the need to fit into the dominant body ideal makes physical control over the body central in determining the body image and self-identity. Mannerism, disciplining, and monitoring the woman’s body remain a prominent practice in almost all societies. The feminisation of the fashion, beauty and fitness industries/gym culture enables women to bargain in innumerable ways with their bodies. Against this backdrop, the paper reflects on the interactions made with women from various groups in Sikkim, including those based on age, ethnic community, level of education, and economic background. It explores how individuals subjectively experience their bodies in everyday life. The paper also highlights how women are negotiating the experiences of the body and beauty ideals, employing their agency to create a fit between the unvarnished body and the dominant body image.