The Hindu nationalist reinterpretation of pilgrimage in India: the limits of Yatra politics

ABSTRACT. Victor Turner's anthropological reading of pilgrimages in terms of communitas is of utmost relevance in the case of Hinduism: indeed, Hindu pilgrimages produce a relative and temporal obliteration of social cleavages – particularly caste divisions – allowing the emergence of a sense of group belonging. Moreover, the geography of pilgrimage sites maps out the sacred land, marking the area of extension of Hindu civilisation in space. Hindu nationalists have tried to exploit this particular alchemy to offer an ethnic definition of the nation (and its territory) and thereby gather a following by lending some of their demonstrations the appearance of a pilgrimage. This approach asserted itself in the early 1980s thanks to the Ekatmata Yatra (Unity March) in 1983, and was confirmed in 1990 during the Rath Yatra (Chariot festival). Nevertheless, the instrumentalist interpretation of such movements comes up against an issue that is already at the core of subaltern studies' historiography, i.e. that masses do not always mobilise for the reasons put forth by political leaders. More specifically, if women march massively in the streets during these Yatra pilgrimages, it is both because they feel concerned by the reason for demonstrations and because these demonstrations have legitimised their entry into the public space, which still remains relatively closed to them.     

LE RÉCHAUFFEMENT DU CLIMAT TERRESTRE ET LES IMPACTS POTENTIELS EN GÉOGRAPHIE DES MALADIES

Selon la plupart des modèles théoriques du climat futur, la température moyenne à l'échelle du globe devrait augmenter de 2 à 4°C dans les prochaines décennies. Les conséquences du réchauffement de la température pourraient avoir des effets sur les activités humaines, et sur la santé humaine. Dans cet article nous décrivons les effets directs sur la santé, maladies dues à la chaleur, et les effets indirects concernant les maladies à vecteurs. Les scénarios sur la croissance des décès à la suite des vagues de chaleur, et sur la diffusion des insectes vecteurs des maladies soulèvent des problèmes conceptuels et méthodologiques qui devront être résolus dans le futur si l'on veut que les résultats provenant de divers pays puissent être comparés et évalués.
Based on climate simulations by general circulation models (GCMS), mean global temperature is expected to rise by 2 to 4°C in coming decades. Such a global warming can have significant impacts on human activities, including human health. In this article, we describe the direct effects of increasing temperature on human health. Secondary effects of the influence of temperature on vector-borne diseases are also described. Different scenarios relating to increase in mortality deriving from heat waves and from the spread of diseases through insect vectors pose conceptual and methodological problems that must be confronted in the future if comparative studies are to be undertaken concerning the effect of global warming on human health in different countries.     

THE CRITICAL THEORY OF HISTORY: RETHINKING THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY IN THE LIGHT OF KOSELLECK'S WORK

There are many ways to consider the philosophy of history. In this article, I claim that one of the most viable approaches to the philosophy of history today is that of critical theory of history, inspired by Reinhart Koselleck. Critical theory of history is based on what I call known history, history as it has been established and expounded by historians. What it contributes—its added value, so to speak—is a reflection on the categories employed to think about historical experience at its different levels, not only as a narrative but also as a series of events: their origins, contexts, terminology, functions (theoretical or practical), and, finally, eventual relevance.