In Praise of the Ordinary Man: Popular Media,Social Hierarchy and Identity in a North Indian Text

This article recounts a story found in a popular genre of religious literature known as vrat katha[ritual storytelling]. The narrative is of an “ordinary” low-caste man and his everyday struggles. It tells of the social and economic suffering experienced by the poor man upon encountering god (called Trilokinath/Vishnu) and receiving his blessing, mediated through a series of miraculous events. However, the transformative power of the events and fortunes that follow is undermined by a Brahmin who refuses to acknowledge the poor devotee, rebuffing his ritual gift [prasad] as polluted and considering him untouchable. The ambiguous nature of the gift and the ideology and practice of devotion [Bhakti] present an intriguing and complex picture of Hinduism, revealed in the multiple social roles and social contexts in which subalterns operate in the course of their day-to-day lives.

?I offer a critical reading of this fascinating story. What seems like a straightforward, standardised ritual text is analysed in terms of its competing and sometimes subversive views of “dominant” Hinduism. By examining the tensions and ambivalence in the text I argue for a more nuanced rendition of subaltern power and agency which cannot be reduced to that of resistance and opposition alone.     

海外印度移民及印度政府的侨务政策

作为人口大国之一 ,印度与中国一样 ,有着庞大的海外移民群体及其后裔。目前 ,海外印度人已超过二千万人 ,分布在 1 1 0个国家和地区。上世纪 90年代以来 ,随着海外印度人对所在国和印度影响的增强 ,海外印度人在印度及海外都引起了比以前更多的关注。印度政府采取了一系列措施 ,以吸引更多的海外印度人投身印度国内的经济建设 ,为印度的发展作贡献。本文概述海外印度移民的基本情况 ,分析海外印度人与印度的联系及对印度的影响以及印度政府对海外移民的政策 ,希望从中能得到某些启示 ,从而对中国的侨务政策提供某些参考和借鉴。     

印度乌代普尔 水之女人

<正>水乃万物之源,对于所有生命不可缺少。对于印度教徒来说不只是生理需求,更是精神寄托。我走了印度很多地方,发现印度人把水当做神圣的物质在崇拜,不只洗清身上罪劣,更净化其心灵。有湖和江,必成圣湖和圣河。晨曦早晨的乌代普尔沐浴在阳光下,静逸湖边泛出金色光芒。身着五颜六色莎莉的印度女人们已经开始自己的一天。劳作印度民风保守,女人街头少见,只有自家周围才见其劳动身影。     

印度的神话与文明

本由三部份组成：一、印度简史与种姓制度;二、印度的神话,具有明显的宗教性与哲理性：三、印度的明、宗教明是其主线。     

Anthropological Hermeneutics and Indian Religion

Burghart, Richard, and Audrey Cantlie, eds. Indian Religion. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985. xi + 258 pp. including chapter references. $27.50 cloth.

Marglin, Frédérique Apffel. Wives of the God‐King: The Rituals of the Devadasis of Puri. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1985. xv + 388 pp. including plates, bibliography, glossary, and index. $29.95 cloth.     

塞舌尔 印度洋上的伊甸园

正塞舌尔是我到达的第一个非洲国家,却也是最不像非洲的非洲国家。当碎玉一般晶莹剔透的海浪翻滚着打湿我裤脚的时候,当斑斓的五色海水流动在我眼底的时候,我已经深深中了毒。几天之后,岛上丰富多彩的动植物,神奇的国宝海椰子,还有当地热情的克里奥尔人,更让我相信,这里就是传说中那个快乐的伊甸园。我的脸紧紧地贴在舷窗之上,俯瞰着飞机下面的这片海,朵朵白云之下,是湖蓝色的海水,那是印度洋的颜色。墨绿色的岛屿出现在印度洋之中,周围艳丽的海水和白色的浪花、沙滩为它镶上一圈美丽的花边。更近了,那斑斓的浅滩像是它的霓裳羽衣。塞舌尔,我终于来了。     

The Indian Pre-Removal Information Network

The perceptions of American Indians have been hidden or overlooked as a result of the dominance of conflicting beliefs or myths formulated by white men regarding their behavior. This study examines the emigrant Indian pre-remoual information network to assess the influence of Indian and non-Indian information sources on emigrant Indian decisionmaking. Although Indians were exposed to both information sources, it appears they attempted to make the relocation decision that would be best for them, rather than being dominated or manipulated by one information source.     

The Pace of Indian Urbanization

In contrast with conventional formulations of urban growth, Tolley proposed a simple, supply-driven model relying upon the intersectoral differential in nonlabor productivity growth as the prime motivator of urbanization in developing countries. In the present paper, we apply Tolley's model to India over the period 1951–1981 and attempt to explain its mixed performance in tracking the pace of urbanization in that country. A modified version, adjusted for inter-regional migration, is then simulated for individual Indian states; the exercise confirms actual urban growth during 1971–81 to have been generally below that predicted by Tolley's model. Tolley's assumptions then are tested through an examination of the relationship between urban growth rates and translog indexes of intertemporal productivity growth. Finally, exploratory analysis of Tolley-model deviations in the various states is used to suggest directions for extending urban growth formulations for India. We conclude with a normative examination of policy implications.