Friday, December 29, 2023

There is only one right way

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra


Decoloniality and cultural representations in Nisha Pahuja's The World Before Her

SD Bhat - Culture and Religion, 2023
This study is an investigation of juxtaposed ideological paradigms represented in Nisha Pahuja’s documentary The World Before Her. Examining the correlations between Western and colonial cultural influences and the felt need for going back to ‘home’/roots …

Krishna's Crucial Role in the Mahabharata: A Divine Catalyst

NR Gopal - The Creative Launcher, 2023
… The Bhagavad Gita holds its prestigious place as an integral segment of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Unveiling an interlude amidst … righteousness (dharma), selfless service (karma yoga), devotion (bhakti yoga), and meditation (raja yoga). As …

Religion and medicine in Sanskrit literature: The Rāmāyaṇa and the politics of an epic plant

A Cerulli - Situating medicine and religion in Asia, 2023
… It is well-known that conservative Hindu groups in recent decades have mobilised millions of proponents of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva (‘… The Ram Setu controversy is another example of Hindutva objections to meddling with religious …

[HTML] Balancing the Poles of the Seesaw: The Parallel Paths of Eckhart and Hindu Vedānta toward Oneness with God/Brahman

J Liu, Z Wang - Religions, 2023
… Just as the philosophy of Vedānta is distinguished herein as Vivekānanda into four types of yoga, Karma Yoga is an “essential union”, and Bhakti Yoga is a “mystical transforming union by Grace”. Karma Yoga is a unique proposition from …

[HTML] When the Body Speaks: Body-Mapping the Somatic Symptoms of Stress in Hospital Social Workers

J Sabbagh, M Fox, N Ray - The British Journal of Social Work, 2023
Impact of workplace stress is a significant issue for social workers in hospital practice. This study aims to understand somatic stress in hospital social workers, the physical embodiment of stress and recognition within employing organisations and education …

[PDF] Medicine within a Cultural Ecosystem: Representations of Nature in Tamil Siddha Medico-alchemical Texts and the Integrating Role of the Siddhars 'Literature

I Kędzia-Warych - Cracow Indological Studies, 2023
… The enigmatic discourse in the medical part of Vaittiya Kallāṭam serves yet another purpose, namely, it integrates the chapter on medical knowledge with the other two parts of this work concerning alchemy and yoga. The alchemical and yogic …

Courage to Move: Somatic Movement, Dance, and Feeling Safe in the Body

H Saumaa - Integrative and Complementary Therapies, 2023
… instructor who is not judgmental is integral in letting go of unnecessary judgment. Cynthia Bargar noted that in yoga classes she felt like she … In yoga I felt like you have to do this the right way and there's only one right way. It almost brought me …

The Molecular Mechanism of Obesity: The Science behind Natural Exercise Yoga and Healthy diets in the Treatment of Obesity

R Yadav, P Singh - Current Problems in Cardiology, 2023
… and yoga and its … Yoga is a combination of various agents which focus on lifestyle, diet, meditation, self-awareness, right postures, and proper breathing technique of an individual, all acting at same time for the establishment of …

FLOURISHING FROM HEAD TO TOE

D Vella-Brodrick, A Gill - Routledge International Handbook of Positive Health …, 2023
In the quest to understand how humans can feel well and function optimally many theories, approaches and models have been presented from scholars and practitioners specialising in a range of disciplines. Naturally, proponents from each …

[PDF] 2. Playing with Integration: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Older Migrants

A Asikainen - Rethinking Integration
… Therefore, I suggest taking play seriously by considering its meaning as an integral part of sociocultural integration. In the next section, I … , being a doctor, going to university, teaching jazz music, and doing yoga. Alternatively, they may …

Spirituality and mental health among South Asians in the United States

P Singal, A Chopra - Psychiatric Annals, 2023
… Yoga and meditation play an integral role in alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders … A recent meta-analysis and meta-review concluded that the practice of yoga and meditation … among South Asian immigrants found more than …

[PDF] Exploring Mob Lynching in India: A Look at Historical Parallels, Causes and Consequences

P Basak - RABINDRA BHARATI JOURNAL OF POLITICAL …, 2023
This paper provides an analysis of mob lynching, focusing on its historical context and its prevalence in contemporary India. The study explores the concept of mob lynching as a form of collective violence driven by emotions and irrationality …

[PDF] Kashmir Issue During Modi Era: A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan's and Indian Print Media

M Azam, AA Akram, G Mustafa
… The Congress authorities, being secular in nature, maintains democratic concepts domestically and absorbs stress from numerous Hindutva … With the upward push of Narendra Modi within the wake of the global conflict on terror, Hindutva ideology …

Ritualizing Politics and Politicizing Ritual: A Study of Kullu Dussehra

D Sarkar - Contemporary Voice of Dalit, 2023
… The narrative has a historical connotation in Hindutva politics.It is an occasion for the right-wing political parties to consolidate Hindutva. As the events commemorate two mythological events propagating ‘the victory of good over evil’ and ‘protector of …

Nationalism and Dynamics of Federal Politics in Contemporary India

K Srinivasulu - Indian Journal of Public Administration, 2023
… The present context of debate on Indian nationalism, informed by the unitarian Hindutva view as against the pluralist nationalist views, calls into question the importance and place of spatial political and cultural identities which renders the …

[PDF] An ldea in Danger of Extinction

S Muralidharan
… its allies within the Hindutva ideological fraternity struggled to transform their power to mobilise a mob into an electoral plurality. By the mid-1990s, the BIP seemed reconciled to the impossibility of fitting the complexity of Indian society into …

[HTML] Indigenous revival and resistance around the world

J Martínez-Alier - Land, Water, Air and Freedom, 2023
Indigenous revival and resistance around the world 561 together with the environmental movement. Other important social movements also overlap to some extent with environmentalism, ie the working-class and agrarian movements (Chapters …

[PDF] Human rights and secularism in conflict with Hindutva: the Water controversy

A Singh - Antropologia Portuguesa, 2023
… Abstract This article analyses tension between human rights (including secularism) and Hindutva, the Hindu nationalists’ discourse. … , secularism and Hindutva/Hindu nationalism is discussed conceptually. This is followed by a discussion of the …

The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between

A Khalid
The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between; Exploring Gender, Race and Insecurity from the Margins Page 1 Page 2 The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between: Exploring Gender, Race and …

Caste and comics: an interview with Samarth

N Muruganandan, S Venkatesan - Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 2023
Indian graphic narratives of the post-millennial era have increasingly addressed pressing social issues such as casteism, environmental degradation, and urbanisation among others. Comics about caste typically showcase the remarkable …

[PDF] Hate Speech and Offensive Content Detection in Indo-Aryan Languages: A Battle of LSTM and Transformers

N Narayan, M Biswal, P Goyal, A Panigrahi - arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.05671, 2023
Social media platforms serve as accessible outlets for individuals to express their thoughts and experiences, resulting in an influx of user-generated data spanning all age groups. While these platforms enable free expression, they also present …

[PDF] Cinematic representation in Marathi cinema

P POL
… With the rise of Hindutva politics, the discourse around Islam and Muslims has shifted to sharp attacks on the role of Muslims in the past. The perception of Muslims to be supposedly incompatible with the social and political spheres has not changed …

[PDF] Understanding the Women in Rural and Tribal Communities

R Kapur - The Journal of Social Sciences Studies and Research, 2023
… Implementing the traits of diligence, resourcefulness and conscientiousness are regarded as an integral part of lives of individuals. They form the viewpoint that through reinforcing these, they will be able to carry out all tasks in a well-organized …
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Resources from all of society is necessary

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra 

There is no reason to doubt that during our evolutionary journey new states of consciousness that go beyond the mind will impose themselves and look upon reality from a different viewpoint. In a certain sense, the (more or less implicit) attempt of the Age of Enlightenment to enthrone the human intellect with its scientific reason as the ultimate arbiter of knowledge is a form of neo-anthropocentrism as well. The first-person reports from higher states of consciousness could improve, or at least complement and inspire science and philosophy. To the best of my knowledge, Aurobindo’s account is, so far, the most comprehensive view of consciousness, mind, life, matter, and the cosmos capable of doing this. Even though one requires a fair amount of effort to get acquainted with the richness and complexity of Aurobindo’s cosmology, I believe it to be the most promising theoretical framework that can accommodate science and spirituality, in a unique synthesis of knowledge between Western and Eastern materialistic and metaphysical cosmologies.

Marco Masi

In view of the aforementioned scientific truths, the realm of Physics is destined to evolve to the planes of the spiritual consciousness and, finally, to the supramental consciousness. In such destiny physicists have to be the men of spiritual consciousness, and Physics has to be a spiritual poetry for expressing higher truths on the plane of material existence. A beauty, for which they have been craving, since long, in their discoveries, will emerge in the world of Physics. The spiritual realisation is evident in the world of Physics when Eddington finds a spiritual phenomenon at the base of the material creation. He says that the "main significances of our environment are of a more spiritual character‟ (Eddington, 1929). Such realisation will continue to take place eventually in other scientists too who are working on the Quantum Theory, and subsequently and eventually in the mind of the common man also. It will lead to the establishment of the reign of the Divine Consciousness in the terrestrial existence as yogically discovered and stated by Sri Aurobindo in his monumental works like The Life Divine, Savitri, etc.

Nikhil Kumar

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are designed to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context.

UNDP

Gandhi believed that peaceful resistance might change society and politics without violence. The person advocated for Indian independence from British colonial rule via civil disobedience, fasting, and peaceful protests. Gandhi preached nonviolence beyond politics. The speaker stressed the need of living a decent and ethical life, promoting harmony, and respecting everyone’s worth. Symbolic of optimism for India and the world, the individual’s peaceful approach inspired civil rights movements and significant personalities like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Dr. Sahibzada Muhammad Usman

The recent involvement of women in sports, notably wrestling, has triggered a transformation in gender dynamics within the field. Historically, wrestling, linked to a culture promoting celibacy and brotherhood, marginalised women, viewing them solely in terms of sensuality and, thus, as potential threats to young wrestlers’ self-control. This view, as observed by Alter, prevented women from entering akharas. However, women now increasingly perceive wrestling and sports as pathways to freedom, mobility (both social and spatial), pride, recognition, and incentives. Rupal Oza’s research indicates that sports has emerged as a significant avenue for gaining visibility and securing employment, especially in the context of Haryana’s neoliberal economy.

Prachy Hooda

The reason being our classrooms are often microcosmic reflections of the larger society and carry within them embedded inequities. Due to their diverse array of identities, experiences, and perspectives, students in the classrooms do not necessarily experience things the same way and their understanding and processing of information varies. These identities — gender, caste, class, religion and others — shape how students perceive and respond to educational content. Navigating these complexities becomes critical, with the understanding that the same pedagogical approach may produce different results for different students. This reality, therefore, necessitates a shift in perspective — an educational intervention that not only acknowledges but also fully embraces the multifaceted tapestry of diversity that defines our classrooms. This is where the intersectional approach comes into play.

Faiza Nasir

On scrutinising Gandhi's legacy through the lens of feminism, it becomes evident that his advocacy for gender equality was fraught with contradictions and limitations. The attempts to brand Gandhi as a feminist should prompt us to ask: are we too quick to bestow such titles on historical figures without considering the nuances of their beliefs and actions? In seeking a deeper understanding of Gandhi's stance on women's rights, we must acknowledge the complexities that emerge when we juxtapose his ideals with his behaviour. Ultimately, this exploration invites us to question not only Gandhi's legacy but also our own tendency to simplify the narratives of complex historical figures.

Diya Binu

Whatever the explanation, the outcome is a growing gulf between local political hierarchies and a party’s high command. It’s not good for democracy as local party organisations are an important link between the executive and citizens. Disempowering them hurts democracy. Consequently, some other democracies have moved towards increasing the say of local party functionaries. 

TOI Edit

The attitude of politicians towards the public mind is instructive. It is, in essence, characterised by attempts by those in power to control and shape collective thoughts. Autocracies, thus, have had their thought police. Democracies, including, it is being alleged, the mother of democracy, have gone about this nefarious design in a subtler manner — the weaponisation of institutions, especially those pertaining to education, seems to be the preferred option. Consider the recent criticism directed at the National Council of Educational Research and Training. The NCERT, which had earlier courted controversy on account of its role in snipping texts deemed ideologically inconvenient to the ruling regime, has now been accused of transforming itself into a propaganda machinery in all its finery. 

The Telegraph Edit

Art cannot flourish on an empty stomach. The economic rewards for art during the Pujas thus feed creativity. An elementary feature of this creativity are the innovative ‘the­mes’ that Puja organisers conceive for their pandals and the deftness with which these are executed. Interestingly, some of these themes are as audacious as they are creative. For instance, one city club this year has decided to pay tribute to a veteran nude sitter — an oft-neglected, but significant, spoke in the wheel of visual arts — who has modelled for veteran artists. Eccentricity and experimentalism are embraced with equal enthusiasm: a pandal has chosen to highlight a quaint artistic tradition of adorning cupboards from Rajasthan. Some other Pujas bank on innovation with a difference. 

The Telegraph Edit

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, September 30, 2023

National pride infuses university education in Europe

My impression is that national pride infuses university education in Europe in a way that is not found in American universities.  There are foundational courses, and then there are electives.  It's difficult to argue Emerson, James, Peirce and Dewey are foundational.
I also think Americans resist being shown that they are "Americans." Imbued with the myth of "individualism," we resist such characterizations. I imagine US philosophy depts are having a hard enough time without requiring undergrads to take a course in "American" philosophy.
I do think our current national crisis is causing Americans to reckon with context: a national soul-searching about how we abided the disavowal of our own history for so long. Perhaps a collective shadow-ownership will help us to own the integral contexts we treat as immaterial.

Isn’t it mind-boggling that you can get a BA in philosophy in the United States and not read Emerson, James, Peirce and Dewey? In France everyone has to read Descartes and Bacon. In Scotland they read Hume with pride. I find it mind-boggling.
Well if you think topically rather than historically
That’s interesting think about place in relation to how our first universities were formed and Boston is our first philosophical city. And New England more generally. Place also matters for the development of African American philosophy.
That's you just finding a way out of how critical I am about the hegemony of the position you are endorsing. I think you are objectively wrong about that, and would challenge that reading of how you first intended influence.
That's a very good reason to read them. If we appreciated the humanities & saw philosophy for the form of literature it is, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. But bc y'all want philosophy to be as close to science as possible, it's never a form of literature.
No, Peirce is not with you. Insofar as the ideas have an impact on the consensus of a community of inquiry...then yes. If that's how you see math. Philosophy is wisdom for acting and living in the world. It's not about theoretical capture, but about improving our lives.
Now, we're talking. William James Studies just had a special issue on the relation between Peirce and James. I understood comm as a community of scientific experts, so yeah. I also think that it's not just a hypothetical test, but how he saw himself in relation to others.

I see what you're saying (I did my undergrad thesis on Peirce) but I think it's more a function of downstream influence: you kind of need Descartes and Hume to make sense of any contemporary discussion in LEMM and the American pragmatists haven't had that influence unfortunately
Maybe we mean different things by ‘influence’ here. The percentage of philosophers working in the analytic tradition is much much higher than those who don’t in the Anglo-sphere (which has the most unis per capita) and even a fair bit higher on the European continent.
Continental figures have probably had more influence on the humanities generally, but your original post was about what’s taught in phil departments specifically
It’s less taught but there’s a chicken-and-egg issue here. The best way to get more people interested in it is for professional philosophers to themselves become interested in the ideas, as they will then voluntarily teach it. But the best way to get professionals interested isn’t to insist they teach it prior to any interest in it

[Growing up in India, I realized that the lack of trust, irrationality, magical thinking, absence of creativity, tyranny, immorality, and economic backwardness are connected. You cannot change any of these in isolation, which is why changing society is virtually impossible.] - JB
Libertarian Autobiographies containing a chapter by me is out. "The values Westerners take for granted as universal are conspicuous by their absence outside the West. Once these values have slipped away, it could take a few millennia to build back..."
I didn't know what "families" meant until I arrived in the UK, even though mine was already among the better ones in India. Indians have no love for each other, just envy and hatred. Relationships are mutually exploitative. Any group of two people has one person too many.
That is how you see things when you have lived outside India for long. The biggest reason is actually Indians, who are indifferent, greedy, lustful, self-centered, amoral, and apathetic, not only with those outside their families & their community but even within their families.

The biggest reason for Indian Poverty being a major problem today is INDIFFERENCE, APATHY AND WORTHLESS AND BRAINLESS LEADERSHIP

There is no bigger lie than the happy Hindu family. The only reason why families even tolerate each other is because of HUF law. Otherwise the norm is to poison, burn, chop, strangle and bury family members. Both in reality and metaphorically
It is the caste logic which connects this subcontinental consciousness. We are ontologically savage adjacent. By evoking racial locations, mere bhai, you cannot absolve the Hindus. Their biggest and most fatal contribution is the caste logic. So bro, its all about Hindus.

It's got nothing to do with Hindus per say
It's a brown people issue. Brown people in the UK or US act exactly the same way. Similarly, Pak and BD folks are exactly the same
Only a few brown people can rise above this
Notice how they're all pushing the blame to someone else

The Western countries & East Asia have the culture of integrity and ingenuity. I am originally from a country that was never colonized by the West. I can confidently say that without Western ideas & values, the world will be a poorer place.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)