The Caste of Merit
The Caste of Merit

Author: Ajantha Subramanian

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2019-12-03

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 067424348X

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How the language of “merit” makes caste privilege invisible in contemporary India. Just as Americans least disadvantaged by racism are most likely to endorse their country as post‐racial, Indians who have benefited from their upper-caste affiliation rush to declare their country post‐caste. In The Caste of Merit, Ajantha Subramanian challenges this comfortable assumption by illuminating the controversial relationships among technical education, caste formation, and economic stratification in modern India. Through in-depth study of the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)—widely seen as symbols of national promise—she reveals the continued workings of upper-caste privilege within the most modern institutions. Caste has not disappeared in India but instead acquired a disturbing invisibility—at least when it comes to the privileged. Only the lower castes invoke their affiliation in the political arena, to claim resources from the state. The upper castes discard such claims as backward, embarrassing, and unfair to those who have earned their position through hard work and talent. Focusing on a long history of debates surrounding access to engineering education, Subramanian argues that such defenses of merit are themselves expressions of caste privilege. The case of the IITs shows how this ideal of meritocracy serves the reproduction of inequality, ensuring that social stratification remains endemic to contemporary democracies.

ICT Analysis and Applications
ICT Analysis and Applications

Author: Simon Fong

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-02-03

Total Pages: 570

ISBN-13: 9811506302

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This book proposes new technologies and discusses future solutions for ICT design infrastructures, as reflected in high-quality papers presented at the 4th International Conference on ICT for Sustainable Development (ICT4SD 2019), held in Goa, India, on 5–6 July 2019. The conference provided a valuable forum for cutting-edge research discussions among pioneering researchers, scientists, industrial engineers, and students from all around the world. Bringing together experts from different countries, the book explores a range of central issues from an international perspective.

Fundamentals of Agronomy
Fundamentals of Agronomy

Author: Venera S. Kamburova

Publisher:

Published: 2018-06

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9781642230253

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Agronomy deals with the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land reclamation. The importance of agronomy provides farmers with agricultural information about how to grow and care for plants and soils in certain environments. Factors such as climate, roots, moisture, weeds, pests, fungi, and erosion can pose significant challenges when farmers attempt to produce a plentiful harvest. In order to discover ways of integrating crops into the environment in ways that will allow them to prosper, agronomists study these agricultural hurdles. Throughout history, scientific and technological advances have greatly impacted the agriculture industry. Early farmers improved their crop production by inventing the first hoes. Today, farmers improve crop production through the use of global positioning systems (GPS). How did these changes happen? How did people learn about new ideas? How have these ideas changed farming methods? In recent times, research and development in this area have made innovations in farming products and practices.Fundamentals Of Agronomy presents the comprehensive coverage in the pursuit of improving the yield of crops, protecting crops against diseases and pest, making livestock healthy all the time, designing the best method of crops storage and even helping in predicting the climate conducive for agricultural practice cannot be over emphasized. Crop protection is very vital in agriculture. Disease affects plants and leads to delay in metabolic activities, stunted growth, shedding of flowers and fruits and sometimes the actual death of the plant. Cultural and chemical controls are most of the time used. Culturally, crop rotation is adopted, burning remains after harvesting, regular weeding of the soil, proper spacing of crops using of high yielding and resistant varieties and practicing of irrigation during dry season are adopted.This book will be of interest to students, professional practitioners, educators, and advisers who work directly with farmers, companies, and others in the agriculture community to implement the latest methods and tools for growing crops profitably and sustainably.