Contributed articles and papers presented at the International Seminar on Cultural Pluralism, Ethnicity and Nation-Building in South Asia, held at Mumbai in December 1995
'This is probably the only work that deals with the entire spectrum of South Asian ethnicity and its dynamic role in regional politics. A decade and a half later after the first edition was published, the work has become even more relevant because ethnic divisions have become sharper all across the region. This updated second edition is thus welcome' - Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Contemporary South Asia The new, revised edition of Ethnicity and Nation-building in South Asia has been rewritten and updated by Rajat Ganguly following the untimely death of the original author Urmila Phadnis.
This handbook presents an authoritative overview of South Asia through the lens of geopolitics, political dynamics, economics, human security, and sustainable development. It brings together key insights from various disciplines to provide an in-depth understanding of the genesis, course, and future potential of South Asia as a region. The handbook: Explores the post-colonial political landscape of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan and analyses the challenges to political stability and governance in South Asia Studies the opportunities and challenges produced by globalization and recommends solutions towards greater connectivity and trade in South Asia Delves into the issues of climate change, water and land resource dependency, and energy security and singles out policy challenges as well as positive actions to promote sustainable development and implement the blue economy Discusses the political dynamics of regional cooperation between countries and the role of China in South Asian regional affairs An invaluable addition to the study of South Asia, this volume will be an indispensable resource for scholars, teachers and researchers of political science, international relations, South Asia studies, South Asian politics, history, defence and strategic studies, political economy, developmental studies, public policy and sustainability studies.
The modern world is characterised by pervasive economic inequalities. Strong economic growth in some developing countries has contributed to a degree to a reduction in the levels of inequality between nations, yet inequality within nations remains high and in some cases, continues to increase. Ethnic Stratification and Economic Inequality around the World investigates the reasons for these striking differences, exploring the coincidence and interaction between economic stratification and ethnic differentiation. Drawing on extensive international survey and statistical data, the author develops a new theory and concrete hypotheses concerning the conditions which lead toward extreme inequality and those which tend toward greater equality. A systematic examination of the interaction between class structures, social stratification and ethnic differentiation, this book sheds light on the manner in which the resulting social structures produce different levels of economic inequality, offering a fivefold typology of patterns of ethnic stratification, which can be applied to present-day world regions. Drawing on the work of Max Weber to provide a rigorous investigation of inequality around the world, it demonstrates what 'sociology as a science of social reality' can significantly contribute to our understanding of global economic stratification. The book is relevant for a wide social-scientific audience, particularly for sociologists, economists and political scientists working in a comparative perspective.
This volume is the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary text to holistically improve understanding of the health of South Asians residing in the United States by considering biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors of health. The vast literatures of diverse fields – psychology, medicine, public health, social work, and health policy – are integrated by leading scholars, scientists, and practitioners in these areas to explore the impact of South Asian cultural factors on health, health risk, and illness. Chapters incorporate available theoretical and empirical information on the status of chronic health conditions in South Asians in the United States, with consideration of future directions to improve understanding of the health of this group. Cultural and ethnic insights imperative for clinical/community/medical practitioners to provide effective and culturally-appropriate care and treatment from an interdisciplinary lens are provided.
Religious identity constitutes a key element in the formation, development and sustenance of South Asian diasporic communities. Through studies of South Asian communities situated in multiple locales, this book explores the role of religious identity in the social and political organization of the diaspora. It accounts for the factors that underlie the modification of ritual practice in the process of resettlement, and considers how multicultural policies in the adopted state, trans-generational changes and the proliferation of transnational media has impacted the development of these identities in the diaspora. Also crucial is the gender dimension, in terms of how religion and caste affect women’s roles in the South Asian diaspora. What emerges then from the way separate communities in the diaspora negotiate religion are diverse patterns that are strategic and contingent. Yet, paradoxically, the dynamic and evolving relationship between religion and diaspora becomes necessary, even imperative, for sustaining a cohesive collective identity in these communities. This bookw as published as a special issue of South Asian Diaspora.
What explains the treatment of ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia? This Element conceptually disaggregates ethnicity into multiple constituent markers – specifically language, religion, and phenotype. By focusing on the interaction between these three ethnic markers, Liu and Ricks explore how overlap between these markers can affect whether a minority integrates within a broader ethnic identity; successfully extracts accommodation as unique group; or engages in a contentious and potentially violent relationship with the hegemon. The argument is tested through six case studies: (1) ethnic Lao in Thailand: integration; (2) ethnic Chinese in Thailand: integration; (3) ethnic Chinese in Malaysia: accommodation; (4) ethnic Malays in Singapore: accommodation; (5) ethnic Malays in Thailand: contention; and (6) ethnic Chinese in Indonesia: contention.
Contributed articles presented at the National Seminar on Modernity and Ethnic Processes in India, organised by the Department of Sociology, North-Eastern Hill University, during March 14-15, 2012 at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
The book addresses issues related to the education of ethnic minority individuals in the multilingual Asian region. It features recent research and practices of scholars aiming to rethink educational policy and practice surrounding the education of ethnic minority students with a variety of language scenarios in Hong Kong and other Asian contexts. It documents how ethnicity and inequality are played out at policy, school, and individual levels, and how these affect the education of ethnic minorities in their host societies. Using a range of methods, from surveys to interviews and document analysis, this book describes the links between language, identity and educational inequality related to ethnic minorities in Asian contexts.