ISHAL PAITHRKAM (ISSN:2582-550X) is a Peer Reviewed Academic Journal Published by Mahakavi Moyinkutty Vaidyar Mappila Kala Academy, Kondotty. The Academy functions under Department of Cultural Affairs Government of Kerala. The Journal is in UGC Care List. Aim of the Journal: Being a peer reviewed academic journal, Ishal Paithrkam promotes research works on language, literature, humanities, and social science. Academic papers, articles based on research, case studies, interviews, and book reviews are preferred for publication. Scope of the Journal: The journal is envisioned as a platform to disseminate worthy research output at free of cost among academics and general public. It is funded by Government of Kerala. Publishing Schedule: Quarterly
Mappila Kala Academy, Government of Kerala, India
Reimagining Futures: Queer Spatiality and Futurity in Monster
This paper critically examines Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film Monster through the analytical framework of queer spatiality and queer futurity. Monster follows the story of Minato and Yori, who form a deep emotional bond with each other as they navigate the challenges of childhood, identity, and social exclusion. Drawing on Judith Halberstam’s idea of queer space, the paper explores how ordinary spaces are transformed into sites of queer intimacy and resistance. The study challenges the normative configuration of spaces and examines how queer individuals carve out moments of safety and belonging even in marginal and abandoned spaces. These reclaimed spaces serve not only as a temporary refuge from the surveillance and discipline of heteronormative society, but it also serves as an alternative way of being in the world. The paper also uses José Esteban Muñoz’s theory of queer futurity to explore how the film creates space for imagining queer possibilities. Rather than seeing queerness as something tragic, the film offers a vision of hope and resistance that gestures towards queer liberation. The study employs qualitative narrative analysis, focusing on how queerness and its complexities are presented through plot structure, and character development.
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Myth in/as Biography: A Study of the Ramayana Framework in Raja Rao’s The Great Indian Way: A Life of Mahatma Gandhi
In his literary biography of Gandhi, The Great Indian Way: A Life of Mahatma Gandhi, Raja Rao employs the mythical technique, overlaying the modern biography with ancient epic form, and thematically and semantically reformulating Gandhi as Rama. Though rooted in the documented evidence of Gandhi’s life, Rao’s text eschews the conventions of traditional Western biography and presents Gandhi as a modern-day Rama, who fights colonial rule with the weapon of non-violence, thus transforming the anti-colonial struggle into the archetypal heroic quest for dharma. The structure of the biographical text parallels the kandas of the Ramayana and thematically mirror the eternal values embodied by Rama. The mythic technique is foregrounded in the semiotic choices, the thematic and symbolic motifs, and in the narrative and structural framework of the Ramayana. This paper studies how Rao aligns Gandhi’s life with the mythic template of the Ramayana, thus repositioning the biography from the discipline of historical document to the realm of sacred storytelling which calls for a reading that moves beyond political history or life-writing into the domains of myth theory, narrative emplotment and postcolonial cultural politics. The paper argues that by using the Ramayana as a moral and structural frame, Rao’s biography shifts Gandhi from a national leader to the archetypal hero of epic proportions and repositions him into India’s sacred narrative traditions as a response to the cultural politics of the period.
Arabi Malayalam can be explained in the simplest way as a way of writing Malayalam in Arabic scripts. It is said that it was created for the Arab traders who came to Kerala; and for religious studies. In any case, Arabi Malayalam retains many words that are foreign to today’s Arabic and Malayalam. It contains many old words that Malayalam has abandoned in course of time. Many local expressions in circulation at different times also found their place in the language. Arabi Malayalam has given literary status to any words and expressions that people use orally. “It indebted not only to the Arabic language”,observes O. Abu. “Its linguistic diversity is unique. Words from oriental languages such as Arabic and Persian, words from Indian languages such as Urdu and Sanskrit, and words from South Indian languages such as Tamil, Kannada and Tulu, sometimes in the form of synonyms and often in the form of derivatives, have gained a wide place in the Arabi Malayalam language. In the same way, the grammars and styles of the said language have also established themselves in the Arabi Malayalam language, with or without contextual changes.” (Page 7)It is recorded that not only words but also styles and grammatical matters have been incorporated into it. However, the argument in this book is that this is a regional/national language. Similarly, there are Arabi Malayalam scholars who argue that Arabi Malayalam has the status of an independent language. There have been works in Arabi-Malayalam in prose and poetry. It includes not only literary works but also scientific texts, religious texts, and philosophical and historical texts. In addition, there were many periodicals, publications, and pamphlets in the Arabi-Malayalam language.In addition to Sanskrit translations such as Ashtanga Hridayam, many other medical books have been written in Arabi Malayalam. N.V.P. Unithiri has spoken about Muslim physicians who were Sanskrit scholars in many speeches. A special method of writing and preserving medicine was developed in Arabi Malayalam. Such notes were written separately in Arabic Malayalam scripts, avoiding the method of writing together. Such medical books may have been helpful for many physicians who could not pursue academic studies.
Rethinking Gandhian Concept of Sustainable Development in the context of Responsible Tourism
Mahatma Gandhi underlined the concept of ‘Sustainability’ as the course of life for the present and the future. He observed that human body requires three kinds of nourishments namely, air, water and food. Nature provides these three components and, hence mankind fully depends on nature for its existence. It is high time to think of preserving the nature and its environment as its degradation and the subsequent climate change have raised serious challenges/threats to the existence of life on earth. Steadily constructing a discourse on sustainability and properly conceiving the developmental paradigms are the need of the hour. Gandhian concepts and ideals have contributed to the broader discourse on sustainable development with special emphasis on environment. Most of the developmental activities in one way or the other, affect nature. The much celebrated Eco-Tourism is one such developmental activity introduced in Kerala with the goal of ensuring environmental sustainability. The paper explores the prospects of Ecotourism in Kerala within the Gandhian concept of sustainable development.
The Intersection of Culture, Religion and Femininity in Indira Goswami’s novel The Man from Chinnamasta.
Religion plays a pivotal role in structuring and maintaining a society by imposing certain morals and norms. Like any other religion, Hinduism has led the Hindus to live in a particular way since time immemorial. Indira Goswami portrays the distressing conditions of widows living in the Vaishnavite Satra. This integration of the woman with religion becomes the core theme of Goswami’s novel, The Man from Chinnamasta (Chinnamasta 2006), emphasises on the interconnecting issues pertaining to the oppression of women and animals. In the novel, Goswami examines and analyses the ancient religious tradition of animal sacrifice at the Kamakhya temple situated in the city of Guwahati in Assam. The novel, when it was published, generated great controversy and commotion across many orthodox sections of society that regarded the book to be an attack on ancient religious rituals and practices. However, the book and the author received a groundbreaking support from the general mass as well as animal rights groups that demanded the banning of animal sacrifice at the temple.
Tracing the Malayness of Malabaris in Malaysia: An Ethnography of their Identity and Language
The Malabari community in Malaysia, hailing largely from Kerala, possesses a profound historical and cultural identity in their second home. The evident dearth in literature on their diaspora and related entities reveals that the personal and social narratives of this particular community are, by and large, untold, whereby their identity is least explored from an academic context. Thus, the Malabari ethnicity was explored to appreciate its assimilation into Malayness or a new identity as Malaysian, by seeking their perspectives on preserving the language of their homeland, and their manifestations of a dual identity in individual and public spheres. The paper specifically centers on the Malabaris, who represent a unique identity among Indian Muslims in the Malay Peninsula, distinguishing themselves from the predominant Malay Indians or Indian Malays. We begin by outlining their migration and the interpretation of their religion in relation to the Malay rulers. Then blending of two vernaculars and the cultural exchanges that occurred during their migration and survival are reconnoitered, fostering some meaningful dialogues between their historical and contemporary experiences. While the survival embodies multiple dimensions in its nature, process, and structure, the paper illustrates how they establish a sense of community through religious and cultural activism, embracing their Malabari identity while simultaneously acknowledging their Malay heritage in other aspects. This duality results in the complexities and confusions discussed in the subsequent analysis.
Reclaiming Identities: Queer Perspectives on Gender and Sextuality in A Gift of Godess Lakshmi by Manobi Bandopadhyay and Jhimly Mukherjee Pandey
This paper dives into the complex dynamics of gender and sexuality within the dominion of Discard Studies, using Manobi Bandopadhyay and Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey’s narrative as a focal point. Positioned at the convergence of ecocriticism and biopolitics, Discard Studies provides a lens to scrutinize the marginalized facets of gender and sexuality. Bandopadhyay’s portrayal of transgender experiences amidst societal neglect serves as a poignant illustration, particularly within the context of discarded production and management. By reframing the concept of “waste” as “discarded” or “neglected,” this study reveals how these elements signify not only physical remnants but also the societal disposability of certain identities. Through an exploration of both literal and metaphorical neglect, this research seeks to deepen our comprehension of the complex connection between gender, sexuality, and societal indifference. Drawing upon feminist and queer theories, the analysis challenges traditional binary understandings, explores how gender and sexuality are performed and constructed, acknowledges intersections of identity, resists fixed categorizations, and emphasizes agency and resistance in reclaiming narratives. This paper accentuates the urgency of acknowledging and addressing the overlooked narratives within discard discourse, advocating for more inclusive and ethically informed approaches to societal justice and waste management. By applying these queer theoretical perspectives to A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi, it offers a nuanced exploration of gender and sexuality, ultimately contributing to a broader understanding of waste discourse and social justice.
Traces of Trauma: Fragmented Memory and Female Identity in Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend
Trauma theory has been a useful tool for reading contemporary women’s writing and in the past few years has been widely mobilised in order to a---ccount for novels by women writers who are often preoccupied with female embodiment, violation, and gendered subjugation. This article will put into practice the trauma theory of Cathy Caruth and Bessel van der Kolk in relation to Elena Ferrante’s novel My Brilliant Friend (2012). The novel will be read as a traumatic narrative through a consideration of the traces of the traumatic in its form, including narrative fragmentation, silence, and somatic recall. Through my analysis I will make three main arguments in relation to Ferrante’s novel. The first of these is that the form of the novel mimics the mechanics of trauma. The second argument is that Ferrante’s novel enacts and illustrates a distinctly female mode of witnessing, specifically because of the novel’s emphasis on bodily signs and symptoms, silences, and fragmentation. And thirdly, that the violence which befalls the protagonists has a lasting impact on their friendship, which vacillates between mutuality and distance. This analysis of Ferrante’s novel responds to recent work in Ferrante Studies which has been preoccupied with theorising the relationship between female friendship and the gendered experience of violence, most notably in the Neapolitan neighbourhood where the novels are set. The application of trauma theory to Ferrante’s novel is a novel one and responds to a gap in the field. The article will, therefore, make a contribution to Trauma Studies and Women’s Writing as well as to Ferrante Studies.
Echoes of Silence: 13 Reasons Why and Unravelling Teenage Suicide in the Digital Age
In the digital age, adolescents are significantly shaped by the media they consume, with social media and online platforms exposing them to both positive and harmful content. A concerning trend is the rise in teenage suicides linked to online influences, including dangerous games like the Blue Whale Challenge that promote self-harm. This paper explores Jay Asher’s novel 13 Reasons Why and its Netflix adaptation as cultural texts that delve into the theme of teenage suicide through the character of Hannah Baker. Hannah, a high school student, takes her own life due to a combination of factors—bullying, depression, loneliness, substance use, sexual assault, and emotional neglect. Using Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, the study analyses how Hannah’s experiences reflect perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability for suicide. These dimensions make her character a powerful representation of adolescent psychological distress. The widespread appeal of the novel and its adaptation lies in their reflection of universal teenage experiences, highlighting the emotional fragility and mental health struggles common among youth. This paper also examines the role of parents, teachers, school counselors, and peer groups in recognizing and responding to adolescent emotional needs. It argues that 13 Reasons Why serves as a wake-up call for society, urging a more empathetic, proactive approach to supporting teenagers. By shedding light on the internal battles young people face, the narrative encourages a deeper understanding and more compassionate engagement with their struggles.
Echoing the Cosmic Symphony: O.V. Vijayan’s Madhuram Gayati in an Ecocritical Perspective
This article offers an ecocritical reading of O. V. Vijayan’s Madhuram Gayati, examining its deep portrayal of the inextricability between humanity and the natural world. The novel is presented as a cosmic symphony that weaves together spiritual, cultural, and ecological consciousness to advocate for the harmonious coexistence of all living beings. Vijayan critiques the growing disconnection between modern humanity and nature, crafting a vivid web of life where flora, fauna, and human characters are active participants in a shared ecosystem. By emphasizing the spiritual and ethical dimensions of ecological awareness, the novel urges readers to recognize the sacred bond between humans and their environment, highlighting the detrimental consequences of environmental degradation and unsustainable practices. Ultimately, Madhuram Gayati is positioned as a literary masterpiece that bridges cultural narratives and environmental ethics. Integrating mythological and spiritual frameworks with ecological concerns, the novel offers a compelling, visionary critique of industrialization and advocates for a return to holistic living for a sustainable future.
Voices in Silence: Female Resistance and Recovery in the Face of Domestic and Political Constraint in Githa Hariharan’s Fugitive Histories
In Fugitive Histories, Githa Hariharan delves into the layered experiences of the people in the Muslim community post-riot. The article focuses on the multifaceted trauma experienced by women in both domestic and socio-political contexts. It also highlights how female characters navigate oppression, ranging from patriarchal control in domestic spaces to the brutal impact of communal violence. It delves into the psychological consequences of violence and the ways in which female characters respond to it. Through the lens of trauma theory, the article investigates how these women, despite enduring emotional and physical scars, exhibit resilience through acts of resistance - both overt and subtle, and how they recover from these painful smothering experiences. By bringing forth the different forms of resistance women display in response to the trauma they experience, the article emphasises the importance of understanding the reasons behind their resistance, rather than dismissing it as mere drama.
Food, Family and Cultural Identity: Culinary Nostalgia and the Immigrant Experience in Venba
Food is among the most important memories immigrants carry with them to their adopted lands. The act of cooking traditional food helps members of immigrant communities to maintain their cultural identities in spaces that are far from the familiar and therefore food becomes a symbolic connection to their roots. This paper is a study of the 2023 video game Venba, developed by Visai games, which is a narrative driven independent game that tells the story of a Tamil immigrant family in Canada. Venba foregrounds the act of cooking as being central to the creation and preservation of cultural identity, through gameplay that blends the preparation of traditional Tamil dishes with storytelling that conveys the emotional journey that the characters undergo through the course of the narrative. By placing food at the centre of the family narrative, Venba engages with some central ideas of the diasporic relationship with food that is often explored in fiction. The purpose of this paper is to examine Venba’s narrative and its gameplay mechanics to see how it engages with the idea of food cultures as important points of connection with the homeland for diasporic communities. Through the story of an immigrant family and their relationships not only with each other but also with food, this paper will also look at the way the game engages with the concept of “culinary nostalgia” found in diasporic literature.
Studies in Kerala Folklore have made a big leap in the past few decades. Some of the regional forms of folk lore have been brought into limelight from oblivion. Many such songs are capable enough to influence the prevailing concepts and nature of folksongs. Exploits of the heroes of yester years predominantly form the themes of these labouring class. They come under the category called epic folk songs. Edanadan Song is one such epic folk song. It has many variants; and Chengannooradi seemed to be the most popular. The paper explores the socio-economic implications of Chengannooradi. Before explaining Chengannooradi, let us have a quick look at the division of folk songs.
Trauma, Patriarchal Norms, and the Reconfiguration of Identity in K. R. Meera’s Jezebel
KR Meera’s Jezebel intertwines the traditional biblical myth with the lived experiences of its modern-day protagonist by creating a complex work challenging both ancient cultural myths and contemporary power structures between genders. This paper examines how the novel addresses trauma through the imposition of patriarchal norms and religious doctrines within the familial setting by reconstructing the historical Jezebel archetype as a symbol of resistance and self-assertion. It engages the trauma theory and feminist literary criticism and uses a qualitative methodology that integrates close textual analysis and intertextual comparison. The study explores the protagonist’s journey from enforced subjugation to emergent self-awareness. This embodies the internalisation of oppressive narratives as well as the potential for transformative deconstruction of inherited symbols. The research critically examines the mechanisms through which cultural and familial pressures are communicated and contested by showing that the oppressive depictions of female vice and moral decay are not immutable truths, but are socially constructed instruments of control. The study also argues that reinterpreting these symbols enables a redefinition of female identity, offering new avenues for empowerment and resistance. Jezebel challenges reductive moral judgments and contributes to contemporary debates on trauma and gender by revealing how literary texts can act as vehicles for subverting and repurposing oppressive narratives.
Gulfkaarande Bhaarya/ The Expatriate’s Wife: Reading the Left- behind Mappila Woman in SA Jameel’s Letter Songs
Dubai Kathupattu [Dubai Letter Songs] by SA Jameel, written in the1980s, inaugurated a new era of literary expressions that captured the nuances of Mappila expatriate experience. Placed in the larger context of pravasam (migration) and the changing socio-political dynamics of Kerala, Jameel’s letter songs reflect a set of new perspectives on the left-behind wives—their bodies, morality, religiosity, sexual anxieties, isolation, as well as various other aspects of their lives and separation from their husbands. Using a methodological framework that combines gender studies and Islamic feminism, this analytical study attempts to forefront the Mappila wife’s representation from within the constitutive structures of pravasam (“migration”), religion, and emergent Malayali patriarchy of the period. This analysis is further necessitated by an understanding that the popular Mappila cultural texts can be read and reread for vignettes of Mappila Muslim women’s lifeworlds. Although central to understanding the lived realities and related aspects of Gulf migration, these peripheral genres of Mappila literature and cultural expressions have received limited attention in academic scholarship. Hence these texts are in need of reparative efforts that can rescue it from the marginality within the Malayalam literary and cultural corpus.
Politics of Mobility and Delhi’s Migrants: Examining Modes of Cosmopolitanisms in Aman Sethi’s A Free Man
The idea of cosmopolitanism suggests recognition and respect of all forms of differences and diversity, and engagement across various class, ethnic, cultural and national affiliations. In the literature on cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitanism is conflated with globalisation and mobile capitalism, which focuses on the lifestyles of those ‘elite’ few who are world travellers and have cultivated the taste for ‘difference’ and ‘diversity’ in the designated ‘consumptionscapes’ of the city. But what about those not belonging to the upper classes and moving from one place to another within the same country or the city? What about the acceptance and respect for the differences embodied in the figure of the ‘Other’, migrants? Can a migrant, who does not belong to the upper class, be called cosmopolitan? The paper aims to examine the class consciousness and the centrality of mobility in cosmopolitanism by looking at the varied modes of cosmopolitanism as displayed by the working-class migrants in urban areas. In contrast to the cosmopolitanism of transnational elites or the capitalist cosmopolitanism of the rich and upper middle classes, cosmopolitan generosity and reasoning have been shown to exist amongst non-intellectual, relatively immobile and working-class groups that provide a significant challenge for how we think about the cosmopolitan identity. It is suggested that we need to reconsider any dualistic notion that cosmopolitans are mobile or elite, or better still, both mobile and elite. Aman Sethi’s A Free Man is interrogated for its representation of the working-class migrants in Delhi to study the (im)mobility and cosmopolitanism of the marginalised migrants who do not belong to the privileged section of the society.
A study of Satisfaction and Perception of Teachers in the Context of NEP 2020 in the Study Area
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 introduces a transformative and forward-looking vision for revamping the Indian education system, aiming to make it more inclusive, equitable, and learner-centric. It places a strong emphasis on holistic development, flexible curriculum structures, and multidisciplinary learning environments that promote critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning among students. At the heart of this reform lies the role of teachers, who serve as the key agents in implementing and translating policy into practice at the grassroots level. Recognizing the centrality of educators in this process, the present study aims to examine the satisfaction levels and perceptions of teachers regarding the NEP 2020 within the designated study area. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative data from structured surveys with qualitative insights from interviews conducted with primary and secondary school teachers. The study concludes that for NEP 2020 to be effectively realized and sustained, it is imperative to address the concerns of educators, strengthen institutional support systems, and ensure ongoing dialogue between policymakers and practitioners. Robust teacher training, inclusive policy dissemination, and contextual adaptation remain critical to achieving the goals envisioned in this ambitious educational reform.
Emmanuel Levinas: Ethics in Post-Humanism
After the linguistic turn in the twentieth century, the concept of human agency and ethical concerns were displaced by discourse of language. Existentialism was the last philosophy of the period which dealt with individual human agency. Now in the period of posthumanism, the philosophy of Levinas redefined self in relation with the other. It is a critic of individual universalism implied in humanism and existentialism. This paper discusses how the philosophy of Levinas defined the relation between self and other in a unique way, which is different from that of thinkers like Jean Paul Sartre and Jacques Lacan. The radical way Levinas redefined the relation between ontology and ethics, has positive relevance in contemporary situation, when the exclusion of the other in social life is a matter of deep concern. The possibility of application of Levinas in literature is also a possibility.
Reading Sahasrapoornima(1977): A Glimpse of Thiyya Reformation under Colonialism
Sahasrapoornima is a work written by C.K.Revathi Amma. It contains the memoirs of Revathi Amma who was active in the public life of Malabar in the first half of the 20th century. The reformation of the numerically dominant caste called Thiyyas to which Revathi Amma belonged was in full swing during the period. Her autobiography is a mirror which reflects the society under transformation. The present study examines how well the autobiography reflects the transformation of the Thiyyas under colonialism. Historical literature gives ample evidence to the tremendous changes brought into the caste by colonialism. The change was gradual and the autobiography could sketch the transformation of the caste through the real life story of the family members.
Problems and Prospects of Contract Labour: Implications and Challenges for Trade Unions in BSNL.
The present paper is an analysis of the challenges and repercussions of the contract labour system and its various dimensions in the telecom sector especially on BSNL, a public sector company in India. The government of India as part of economic reforms and structural adjustments incorporated many changes in its political system. The bifurcation of Postal and Telegram Departments under the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) was one of them. All governments in the era of globalisation and privatisation employ casual labourers and thus it becomes the order of the day. The system of contract labour is highly beneficial for the government and other firms especially when they face grave economic crisis, but at the same time it affects seriously the labour culture and trade union activities in a country like India. The efficacy of the provisions of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 is also discussed in this paper. The present study is based on primary data collected through interview and personal conversations with trade union leaders and contract workers and on secondary data collected through articles, journals, annual reports and websites.
The Epistemology of Trauma and 9/11 Literature in Mohsin Hamid’s Novel: The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
9/11 is not merely a terrorist act; it has evolved into an origin that has been dormant in the western cultural capital accommodation for many generations. It ushers in a new era of victimised/other ‘Muslims’ and the cultural appropriation of an alienated spirit within the Islamic tradition. 9/11 calls into question, not the history, but the present, the future of an entire generation. Changez, the protagonist of Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, enjoys a peaceful life in the United States before the horrific events of 9/11. Everything changed for him and his fellow Eastern Muslims immigrants settling in America after the September 11 attack. They became subjects of ridicule and disgrace as Muslims were demonised and viewed as outsiders. In this sense, Muslims like Changez, who adore America, bears a heavy price. The plot centres on the protagonist’s past experiences, with occasional allusions to the present; he reconsiders and recalls all those exquisite and awful recollections from his scarred past. The research paper considers the conceptual framework of Cathy Caruth’s observations on trauma theory for this goal. It evaluates the novel within the context of traumatic knowledge and identifies the strategies and procedures the protagonist, Changez, deals with. It applies trauma narrative theory’s concepts to the style of presenting the protagonist’s experience.
Exploring the Identity Crisis in Mahasweta Devi’s Novel The Glory of Sri Sri Ganesh
Postcolonialism, in the early 21st century, have brought to the fore pertinent issues of identity crisis, ethnicity, gender, and culture. The predominant theme of Mahasweta Devi’s fiction is to highlight the issue of identity crisis. This paper examines the novel, The Glory of Sri Sri Ganesh using the tools of qualitative textual and content analysis. The paper aims to study the complex elements of the identity crisis that the novel’s female characters experience. In light of the sociocultural context of India, Devi explores the mental conflicts that her characters go through in various situations. This research outlines the many aspects of women in which women’s bodies become the object of sexual exploitation while maintaining the social stigma of caste. She reflects on a broader perspective of the women’s experience of extreme suffering and identity problems.
Race in Human Rights: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the textbook Zeitgeist
Racism in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement was understood to be a consequence of individual prejudices and it was believed that racial stratification would stop when people stopped thinking about race. But the beginning of the Critical Race Theory in the 1970s the above argument was rejected and it was argued that race consciousness is necessary to overcome Racism. This study examines the integration of racial content in the common course paper of English for the undergraduate students in the three-year B.A. English Degree Course (2017) at Calicut University, by attempting a Critical Discourse Analysis of the module ‘Human Rights’ from the textbook , ‘Zeitgeist’. As a course taught to undergraduate students, this paper examines three discursive devices used in the textbook that serve as a means for shaping or (re)producing ideological values (1) the ways authors create ‘versions of reality’ based on their choice of words and how they combine words together (2) the ways authors construct certain kinds of relationships between themselves and their readers;(3) the ways authors of textbooks draw upon and reinforce the larger systems of belief and knowledge that govern what counts as right or wrong, good or bad, and normal or abnormal in a particular society, The article thus identifies the challenges and limitations of the textbook in addressing past and present racial inequities of the world— particularly its attempt to equip students with the knowledge to engage in meaningful dialogues and critical writing about racial issues that are entrenched in the majoritarian and parochial India of today.
The Expansion of British Capitalism in the Economy of Travancore
Travancore became a subsidiary ally of British government after signing the treaty of 1805. Evenbefore there existed trade relation between Travancore and British government. The influence of finance capitalism and free trade became dominant by the second half of 19th century in in Travancore. The British government very much interested in supporting British capitalist to invest in plantation in Travancore. Moreover, they also encouraged free trade in Travancore. This paved the way for connecting Travancore economy with European metropolitan capitalism. The metropolitan capitalism transformed the economy of Travancore to the status of a periphery. The reclamation of wasteland was encouraged by the British government in Travancore to expand the plantations of the colonial capitalists. They introduced railway, postal system and modern means of transport to expand the tentacles of capitalist exploitation in Travancore. Mention may be made in the context about the dominance of British interest in Travancore administration to facilitate British capitalism. For instance, the inter portal trade convention passed by British government in the second half of 19th century. Thus, the economic impact of British rule indirectly subordinated the economy of Travancore for colonial interest.
Fatphobia in Disney Movies: Implications and Imprints on Children’s Wellbeing
Walt Disney Movies is one of the leading and most influential media giants in the world. They play a pivotal role in shaping children’s perspective of cultural ideals, gender roles and body image through their visual representations. Most Disney protagonists, especially the princess characters, project unrealistic body standards and are highly sexualised in their actions. Fatness has always been associated with ugliness. Fat Disney characters are either funny, clumsy, foolish or aggressive. An analysis of a few famous Disney characters would help to further establish this argument. The stereotypical representation of fat characters is in fact problematic, leading to fat bullying among youth. This tendency also increases the chances of development of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia among children. Contrary to this discrimination, what we need currently is an acceptance of all people, irrespective of their body size and weight.
Negotiating the National Space: Exclusionary Instincts of Modern India and the Dalit Resistance: A Reading of Sujatha Gidla’s Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and The Making of Modern India.
This article examines Sujatha Gidla’s book, Ants Among Elephants, through the lens of B. R. Ambedkar’s perspectives on nation and nationalism. It explores the historical path of systemic exclusion of Dalits in Indian academia and politics. Gidla’s book vividly portrays the journey of K. G. Satyamoorthy, a key figure in the Maoist guerilla movement of the 1970s, delving into his struggles, setbacks, and disillusionment. Through Satyamoorthy’s story, the book offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of caste oppression within Indian politics. Furthermore, it sheds light on the gendered and narrow-minded aspects of discrimination based on caste in Indian academia, illustrating the challenges faced by Gidla’s mother as a college lecturer in her workplace.
Transcending Gender Boundaries: A Mapping of the Alternative Masculinities of Lord Krishna
Myths provide opportunity for a fundamental enquiry into the human condition being collective psyche of the Indian society which sustains its belief system and governs its way of life. Lord Krishna, the dark enigmatic mythical god who is closely associated with romance, love and eroticism remains a paradox in Indian ethics, politics, dharma and sexuality. An incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna exhibits the female traits of the former and is not a strictly masculine figure in the socio-religious and cultural space of the nation. This paper attempts to investigate the non-hesitative gender-fluid nature enshrined in Krishna and aims to study how the epic resists the hegemonic notion of masculinity, opening up an arena of alternative masculinities, especially redemptive masculinity. It also inspects the reconceptualization of the image of Krishna and its changing iconography in popular culture, with special focus on identity politics.
Theorising the Digital Public Sphere:An Analytical Study of the Possibilities and Challenges of Digital Counterpublics
Public debates and discussions are mandatory for the proper conduct of democracy and the space where such public debates take place is called public sphere. Traditionally, meeting places in villages or urban squares, markets, cafes, salons or table societies functioned as public sphere. With the advent of newspapers, radio and television; mass media assumed the role of public sphere. One big problem with the conventional public sphere is that it did not include society as a whole, a majority of people like women, sexual minorities, Dalits, racial, linguistic and religious minorities, differently abled individuals etc. were excluded from it. This situation slightly changed with the emergence of digital public sphere. Many socially marginalised people got representation in the public sphere. But the digital public sphere has its own inherent challenges like, state surveillance, misinformation, cyber bullying and digital divide. Progressive societies need to solve those problems collectively. Societies around the world should also work towards establishing an alternative digital public sphere which is not controlled by private tech giants.
Affirming Self and Space: The Question of Caste, Land and Resilience in Chengara Samaravum Ente Jeevithavum
This paper attempts to contextualise the inextricable link between caste and land in Kerala by analysing Chengara land agitation in the district of Pathanamthitta as informed by the life narrative of Seleena Prakkanam. Chengara Samaravum Ente Jeevithavum (Chengara Land Struggle and My Life) emerges as a useful socio-political document providing a clear vantage point to a particular socio-cultural situation in Kerala in specific spatio-temporal contexts. The constitutive relationship between land and caste is analysed in this study to assert how the narratorial subject has undergone structural oppression in terms of land and caste. Seleena Prakkanam’s life narrative promulgates that land is a socially reproduced entity whereby socio-political power is administered and social hierarchies are maintained. It also points to a very pertinent question: why are the actual tillers deprived of the land where they work their fingers to the bone?
Law commission has solicited opinions from various organizations as part of the implementation of the uniform civil code. Neither out line nor draft was available of it about how to implement it before seeking opinions. Unifying civil laws does not mean making new civil laws. Or does it mean adding to certain existing laws. There are many groups which follow various religious customs in India. There are many tribes and casts follow different customs. Does Uniform civil code mean forming a new legal system by unifying these various cultural identities? Does the proposed uniform civil code exist within the secular framework? There was no clarity regarding these matters. If various groups are brought under the Code, which section of Indian society represents it? These are not specified. In the name of Indian culture, if laws of various groups are unified to the Hindu law code; it implies that Hindu code is secure at all level. Buddhists, Jains and Dalits follow Hindu code at present. A marriage can be conducted customarily according to Hindu code; however; legal separation is possible through courts. Customary marriages defer according to castes and groups. Which customary marriage is accepted as standard through and by unifying civil laws?. Do customary marriages continue for different castes and groups? Or if marriage is unified under the Uniform civil code, will it be secular like the special marriage act? Can anyone who is born and brought up in religious set up, follow the supposed secular marriage law sidelining customary marriage? The comments in general, are based on the assumed nature of common civil code. It is relevant to ask the question- Is it possible to solicit public opinion based on assumption? How can these opinions be accepted as authentic. Some political parties determined to get the sanction from the current parliamentary session for the implementation of uniform civil code in spite of the lack of clarity about it. Can anyone who is born and brought up within religion follow secular line,? The answer is definite ‘yes’. It is easy to practice in the social life of Kerala; but for those who find it difficult to leave family ties, secular life seems difficult. They have to participate in family functions even though they do not like it. Sometimes they are forced to participate. If they avoid the family functions they may be blamed. Despite the existence of such difficult situations, through his stance Razak Payambrat gave a model to secular life . Razak, Social Activist, the first publisher and master brain behind the journal Ishal Paithrkam is remembered for his definite choice of secular over religion.