Social Development and Demographic Changes in South India


Book Description

The central theme of this book deals with the contemporary perspectives on diversity in development cum moderization and their differential influence on contrasting fertility behaviour in the advanced regions of southern Kerala as against the less progressive northern area.




Sociology and Social Anthropology in India


Book Description

The Indian Council of Social Science Research, the premier organization for social science research in India, conducts periodic surveys in the major disciplines of the social sciences to assess disciplinary developments as well as to identify gaps in research in these disciplines.




Fertility Transition in South India


Book Description

This volume brings together 13 well-researched and original essays which describe and analyse the trajectory of fertility decline in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Documenting the fact that the fertility decline occurred in regions with vast differences in development indicators, the contributors argue that this transition must be understood as a cumulative result of several factors including family planning policies, socio-economic transformation, and changes in social perceptions towards fertility, contraception, marriage, family and child rearing. Combining various qualitative and quantitative techniques with field studies and historical analysis, the contributors go beyond the formal tools of demography and develop an original Geographical Information System (GIS), a spatialized database encompassing south Indian districts.




Social Mobility In Kerala


Book Description

Filippo and Caroline Osella, anthropologists who spent three years in rural Kerala, south India, write about the modern search for upward social mobility: the processes involved, the ideologies that support or thwart it, and what happens to the people involved. They focus on the caste called Izhavas, a group that in the mid-19th century consisted of a small land-owning and titled elite and a large mass of landless and small tenants who were largely illiterate and considered untouchable, and who eked out a living by manual labor and petty trade. In the 20th century, Izhavas pursued mobility in many social arenas, both as a newly united caste and as families. The work considers how successful the mobility has been and looks at the effects on their society of an ethos of progress. Distributed by Stylus. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR




Global Political Demography


Book Description

This open access book draws the big picture of how population change interplays with politics across the world from 1990 to 2040. Leading social scientists from a wide range of disciplines discuss, for the first time, all major political and policy aspects of population change as they play out differently in each major world region: North and South America; Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region; Western and East Central Europe; Russia, Belarus and Ukraine; East Asia; Southeast Asia; subcontinental India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; Australia and New Zealand. These macro-regional analyses are completed by cross-cutting global analyses of migration, religion and poverty, and age profiles and intra-state conflicts. From all angles, this book shows how strongly contextualized the political management and the political consequences of population change are. While long-term population ageing and short-term migration fluctuations present structural conditions, political actors play a key role in (mis-)managing, manipulating, and (under-)planning population change, which in turn determines how citizens in different groups react.




Children’s Perceptions of the Role of Biblical Narratives in Their Spiritual Formation


Book Description

In the Bible, storytelling is an important means to pass on the revelation of God. God repeatedly commanded the people of Israel to tell his mighty acts to the next generation. Invariably churches follow this mandate and use biblical narratives as a means to transmit God’s self-revelation to enable transformation. The author, Dr Annie George, listens to the voices of children in order to understand their perceptions of how storytelling of biblical narratives help them in their spiritual formation. Dr George’s research highlights the importance of evaluating the impact of biblical narratives from a child’s perspective as well as emphasising the need to give the same priority to the spiritual transformation of children as with other areas of study and ministry.




Dalits and Tribes of India


Book Description

Papers presented at the three day National Seminar on "Agenda for Emancipation and Empowerment of Dalits and Tribes", held at Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, during 4th to 6th September 2008.




A Companion to the Anthropology of India


Book Description

A Companion to the Anthropology of India offers a broad overview of the rapidly evolving scholarship on Indian society from the earliest area studies to views of India’s globalization in the twenty-first century. Provides readers with an important new introduction to the anthropology of India Explores the larger global issues that have transformed India since the end of colonization, including demographic, economic, social, cultural, political, and religious issues Contributions by leading experts present up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of key topics such as population and life expectancy, civil society, social-moral relationships, caste and communalism, youth and consumerism, the new urban middle class, environment and health, tourism, public and religious cultures, politics and law Represents an authoritative guide for professional social and cultural anthropologists, and South Asian specialists, and an accessible reference work for students engaged in the analysis of India’s modern transformation




Development and Gender Capital in India


Book Description

The Indian state of Kerala has invoked much attention within development and gender debates, specifically in relation to its female capital- an outcome of interrelated historical, cultural and social practices. On the one hand, Kerala has been romanticised, with its citizenry, particularly women, being free of social divisions and uplifted through educational well-being. On the other hand, its realism is stark, particularly in the light of recent social changes. Using a Bourdieusian frame of analysis, Development and Gender Capital in India explores the forces of globalisation and how they are embedded within power structures. Through narratives of women’s lived experiences in the private and public domains, it highlights the ‘anomie of gender’ through complexities and contradictions vis-à-vis processes of modernity, development and globalisation. By demonstrating the limits placed upon gender capital by structures of patriarchy and domination, it argues that discussions about the empowered Malayalee women should move from a mere ‘politics of rhetoric and representation’ to a more embedded ‘politics of transformation’, meaningfully taking into account women’s changing roles and identities. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Development Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology and Sociology.




Social Development in Kerala: Illusion or Reality?


Book Description

This title was first published in 2000: There has been considerable academic interest in the innovative development programme taking place in Kerala, India. Much has been published on the specific "achievements" of the programme, such as literacy, health care, communication and demographic indicators. However, lurking beneath the surface are the harsh realities of chronic unemployment, poverty and deprivation among the elderly and weaker sections of the society, the oppression of women and the inefficiency of the government. These problems are revealed in this book through in-depth empirical research undertaken by a native Keralan. In the light of this material, this text questions whether the Kerala model of development should indeed be regarded as worth emulation.