Full Description
This volume develops a unique framework to understand India through indigenous and European perspectives, and examines how it copes with the larger challenges of a globalized world. Through a discussion of religious and philosophical traditions, cultural developments as well as contemporary theatre, films and media, it explores the manner in which India negotiates the trials of globalization. It also focuses upon India's school and education system, its limitations and successes, and how it prepares to achieve social inclusion. The work further shows how contemporary societies in both India and Europe deal with cultural diversity and engage with the tensions between tendencies towards homogenization and diversity.
This eclectic collection on what it is to be a part of global network will be of interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian studies, philosophy, sociology, culture studies, and religion.
Contents
Preface. Exploring Alterity in a Globalised World Part I Religion, Philosophy, and Culture 1. Kali's Daughters: The Tantric Conception of the Divine Feminine as an Emancipatory Role Model for Hindu Women 2. The Sacred Cow and the Ideal of ahiṃsā 3. Re-Reading Gandhi for a Reformed Knowing: Where to put that Little Inner Voice? 4. Education for a Better World? Gandhi's Ideas on Education and their Relevance in Modern India 5. Asceticism in Ancient and Modern India 6. Cultivating Simplicity as a Way of Life. Insights from a Study about Everyday Lives of Tibetan-Buddhist Child Monks in Ladakh 7. The Legends of St. Thomas and the Extensions of the Magic/Miracle Dichotomy in the Stories about Kadamattath Kattanar 8. In-between Places: The Natural Zoo as a Cultural Place Part II Dance, Theatre, and Media 9. Cutting into History. The "Hindu Dancer" Nyota Inyoka's Photomontages 10. The Commune-ist Air: Living the Everyday in Times of Struggle - The Case of the Indian People's Theatre Association's Central Squad 11. Finding a Path - Notes on Political Forms between Locality and Globality in India's Contemporary "Art World" 12. The Message of their Pictures. An Essay on Photographs taken by Indian Auto-rickshaw Drivers 13. Transmitting Culture within Linguistic Alterity Part III Education, Self-Education, and Human Development 14. In Line: A Photo Essay on Entering a School in Bangalore 15. Going to School in India. An Ethnographical Research at two Schools in Bangalore 16. "The Treasure of Life Lies in Hard Work." Insights into the Discursive Practices of Becoming Educated and Developed in Schools in South-India 17. The Impact of School Environment on Future Aspirations of High School Students in India 18. Sugarcane Migration and the Impact on Education: A Perspective on Seasonal Migration in Maharashtra and the Linkage to Children's Education 19. Educational Experiences of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: A Case Study of a German University 20. A Fresh Perspective on Indigenous Tools for Inclusive Education 21. Perception and Inference 22. When the Solution Becomes Part of the Problem: The Role of Education in Social Conflicts. Observations in the Indian Context Part IV Homogenization versus Diversity 23. Socialisation in the Context of Globalisation. How Adolescents in India Deal with Global Processes 24. Power to the People. A Long Road to Conscientization 25. The New and Young Indian Middleclass: Life between Traditions and Western Values 26. Risk-Taking and Entrepreneurship in India. Implications of Social and Cultural Norms for Poverty Alleviation Policies 27. Thinking about Climate Change. Young People from Ladakh Responding to Global Warming. An Explorative Study 28. Health Promotion and Diversity. Theoretical Reflections and Personal Experiences in Everyday India 29. Absence of a Presence: Text, Pedagogy and Social Anthropology in Northeast India 30. Dispositions as Properties: Irrelevance of Functional Characterisation
