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- Convenors:
-
Buddhadeb Chaudhuri
(IUAES)
Mesbah Kamal (University of Dhaka)
- Stream:
- Worlds in motion: Human rights, Laws and Trafficking/Mondes en mouvement: Droits humains, lois et traffics
- Location:
- FSS 11003
- Start time:
- 4 May, 2017 at
Time zone: America/New_York
- Session slots:
- 2
Short Abstract:
Peace is an outcome of conflict resolution. Many countries are diversified in terms of both language and nationalities. Development, be it human or sustainable, needs peace to build a harmonious multi-ethnic country free from environmental devastation and human rights violation.
Long Abstract:
Peace and sustainable development remain the aspiration of the multi-ethnic countries. But in many cases, the governments have considered such diversities more as a threat than a resource. There is a need to reassert the value and importance of cultural diversity and pluralism and meet the challenges to peaceful co-existence in multi-ethnic societies. There is a growing realization that such countries need to look back on the richness of country in terms of its unity in diversity, rich value system, and traditional wisdom and world view of peace, harmony and sustainable development.
Anthropologists are especially well-situated to examine the global human rights priorities, instruments, and treaties with the efforts of activists and community groups seeking justice in specific contexts. Indeed, anthropologists working in academic and applied settings have contributed to the growth of international ethnographic literature on human rights violations, and on human rights concepts as they are engaged around the world. This work can contribute to the shaping of new democratic spaces for effective promotion and protection of human rights. It can do so by informing more flexible, inclusive, and culturally sensitive interpretations and applications of human rights instruments and treaties to address diversely situated rights violations. One cannot stop exploitation of natural resources but what one is now looking for is how to achieve sustainable development. This may demand new a development strategy with genuine participatory approach and creating a process of natural resource use which is open, accessible and accountable for the security of the larger population.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Paper short abstract:
Vidyarthi, Mishra (1977), SCs are considered outcastes and untouchables, remain at the bottom of social hierarchy, are socially deprived, discriminated, exploited by upper caste since time immemorial. The study focuses on present status of Kaikadis of Vidharbha in Maharashtra, listed under SCs.
Paper long abstract:
Russel & Hiralal (1931), mention, no caste will take food from Kaikadis. Their touch is considered to defile a Brahman, Bania, Kalar and other Caste, but not a Kunbi. They are not allowed to enter into a temple, they live outside the village. Kamble N.D (1982) writes “The social exploitation manifests itself in a variety of ways in the Indian society even to-day.
There are 59 castes among SCs, several studies have shown that new inequalities have crept in among the SCs due to uneven educational attainments, there are clear differences among them in terms of social and economic status. Equal access for unequal groups is not true equality,
Vidharba an administrative division of Maharashtra consists of Amravati and Nagpur Division. Fieldwork was undertaken in the districts of Akola and Yavatmal. Random sampling method was used to collect data from 62 respondents belonging to this community.
The study shows that even today, they are treated as untouchables, prohibited from entering temples, live on the outskirts of the village, still continue the traditional occupations of weaving baskets, rearing pigs, donkeys to carry on the labour work, women are not even given the work of housemaids by other castes.Today, the SCs are far more advanced than what they were at the time of independence but some among them are still living in deplorable conditions.
Paper short abstract:
The historic failures of the Western powers in supporting authoritarian regimes and the consequent repressions are the causes of the turmoil in the Middle East. The paper offers ideas of power-sharing arrangements among the different ethnic groups that still could stop the conflagration.
Paper long abstract:
In spite of the unequal sizes of different ethnic and sectarian segments of both Iraq and Syria, there could have been political arrangements of power-sharing and delicate balance between the central and local governments that could have integrated the countries a long time ago. These possibilities of creating the win-win state of affairs were destroyed by the West in supporting authoritarian regimes favoring one group over the others. The consequence of that, in the long run, has been costly and counterproductive for the West and extremely detrimental and painful for these Middle Eastern countries. The paper explores the solution to these crises the essence of which is reconciliation and integration through power-sharing and inclusive politics with the help of the world powers. A situation of ethnic or other diversity is not a problem, rather, it could be contributing towards the country's development if the culture of pluralism prevails. The key reason for the phenomenal success of the United States in our time is its progressive socio-political processes of integration of the most diverse immigrant communities coming from all corners of the world. My paper also examines the importance of establishing proper checks and balances not only among the organs of a state but also among the different factors and forces of a society. A good governing system to achieve social justice and economic growth offer a better future to the vast young generation in the Muslim world. This is the key to defeat radicalism and terrorism in our world.
Paper short abstract:
This article aims to focus on indigenous women’s roles and experiences in peace politics in the CHT struggle for autonomy. Hill women were drawn into this struggle both advertently and inadvertently. It is interesting to see how CHT peace politics opened space for women and their issues.
Paper long abstract:
This article aims to unearth the uncharted field of indigenous women's roles and experiences in peace politics in the CHT centered on its long-drawn ethnic identity based struggle for autonomy that started in the 1970s and ended formally in 1997 by the signing of a Peace Accord. Still conflict persists in different forms and peace is yet to be established. Hill women were eventually drawn into this protracted struggle both advertently and inadvertently. Consequently, they affected and were affected by the conflict equally as their male counterparts. Ironically though the dominant narrative of the CHT struggle tend to focus only on men's experience, ignoring women's multiple experiences and contributions.
There are many aspects to women's experience in conflict situation, which are no longer judged in isolation from their roles and status in peace making and peace building process, recognizing that armed conflict affects women in different ways and women play an important role in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and peace building processes. Yet the reality is that women's experiences and roles in peace and conflict are still largely underrepresented and excluded. This is especially true for the CHT conflict. Against this backdrop, it is imperative to see how the politics of peace has been constructed in the CHT; how women played parts in the CHT peace politics over the periods; what differences their inclusion and exclusion have made upon the outcome of the peace processes and what bearings it has had upon the gender relations in the society.
Paper short abstract:
This paper will look at the state discourse on 'peace' building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts through the lens of government secret documents and policies and its effects on human rights in the multi ethnic societies.
Paper long abstract:
. This paper will analyse government discourse on peace building specially after the CHT Accord ( which is popularly known as peace accord) through the documents(secret letters, press note/release, circulars, bills and policies). Foucault's concept of normalisation helps us to understand the process of differentiation and exclusion used by the Bangladeshi government in terms of dealing and controlling indigenous people applying peace discourse. it is important to remember how 'peace' became a powerful tool in the context of the CHT to understand the violence .Therefore, this paper is interested to understand how is the term 'Peace' manifested in government documents and in practices?. It will also explore the difference between the perspective of state and local people in the CHT on the concept 'peace' and its effects on the lives of the local indigenous people in the CHT.
Paper short abstract:
Based on the data from a survey in China and Japan, this study will focus on the attitude of women students toward same-sex marriage from a comparative examination of social and cultural progress in the two countries.
Paper long abstract:
One of the top-ten news in 2015 in China was about same-sex marriage. Mr. Sun Wenlin and his partner Mr. Hu Mingliang applied for a marriage license in June 2015, three days before the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to extend same-sex marriage rights across all 50 states. When the registry denied their application, insisting only heterosexual couples could marry, the couple took their fight to court. In a country like China where homosexuality was removed from an official list of mental illnesses for clinical treatment in 2001, same-sex marriage is still officially unacceptable.
Compared with China, Japan seemed a little more forward. On November 5 2015, Ms. Koyuki Higashi and Ms. Hiroku Masuhara reportedly became the first same-sex couple in Japan to receive an official certificate that recognizes their union. Shibuya's legislators voted in March 2015 to grant marriage certificates to LGBT couples, making the ward the first in Japan to recognize same-sex unions. Setagaya, another of Tokyo's 23 wards, voted to do the same a few months later.
How do the ordinary people respond to same-sex marriage and what seem to be the backgrounds? Based on the data from a survey in Japan and China, this study will focus on the attitude of women students toward concept of marriage from a comparative examination of social and cultural progress in the two countries.
Paper short abstract:
The laws play an important role of adjusting the relationship between diversity and integration. Meanwhile,the realistic challenges require more reflection and communication in order to realize the effective and sustainable development of bilingual education in multi-ethnic societies and keep peace.
Paper long abstract:
Under the premise of cultural diversity,to keep the peace and sustainable development, bilingual education is considered to be one of the most practical means of the legal protection and rights in multi-ethnic societies.Both China and Canada are obviously implementing bilingual education of the legal basis and practice,with successful experience and realistic challenges.
In China, such a colorful country with pluralistic integration, many laws and regulations are relating to the right of bilingual education in multi-ethnic societies such as < Constitution of the People's Republic of China > , <Law of Regional National Autonomy>,Local autonomy regulations and Regulations on the work of language and writing,< National common language method >etc.Having many years experience,Canada has become multicultural country with the First Nations, European descents and global immigrant groups living together.In addition to the relevant international conventions after World War II,Canada involved in the relevant legal provisions of Bilingual Education,including < Constitution of Canada >,<Multiculturalism Act>etc.Whether in China or Canada,in light of history,bilingual education have been worthy of recognition.But with the domestic and international changing situation and the suspicion of Multiculturalism,the practical development of bilingual education is facing many difficulties and challenges in different modes and stages,especially in preschool and primary education.
The laws play an important role of adjusting the relationship between diversity and integration.It is more important how to practice these laws.Meanwhile,the realistic challenges require more reflection and communication in order to realize the Peace and sustainable development.