Why do people trust each other? Do people form groups through mutual trust or self-interest? How ... more Why do people trust each other? Do people form groups through mutual trust or self-interest? How does the theory of rational choice and accompanying individualism affect the concept of social capital? Are social cohesiveness in groups and financial success related? Such questions generate interest in conditions promoting association and group emergence, such as trust, reliability, reciprocity, and shared values, which are inherent factors for cohesion. Self-help groups (SHGs) in an urban context are used to comprehend the aforementioned questions. The proposed study is based on the following hypothesis: the formation of groups is not based on trust but on material-and non-material-need-based individual rational choices that force them to cooperate with each other. It is found that a sense of insecurity among migrant women, an emotional need, led the formation of the imagined communities and has paved the way to construct trust. Thus, trust is found to be secondary in construction and sustainability of social capital. Castes, regions, and religions are strong factors; however, they are found to be less effective for the migrants than native SHG members. Therefore, among migrants, trust channelized itself vertically around a sense of fear.
This study is an account, largely based on fi eld research, of how Muslims in Delhi experience th... more This study is an account, largely based on fi eld research, of how Muslims in Delhi experience the public healthcare sector. It identifi es how negative memories of the Indian Emergency and sterilisation campaigns of that time may still get recalled today whenever any untoward incident happens concerning Indian Muslims in relation to public health services. The research seeks to identify to what extent this kind of historical memory translates into perceptions of disadvantage that then gradually initiate a process of self-exclusion, reinforcing a spiral of disadvantage.
335-362 of Islamic discourses. However, this in no way detracts from its overall contribution to ... more 335-362 of Islamic discourses. However, this in no way detracts from its overall contribution to Islamic studies scholarship. Indeed, the book's academic rigour and bold assertions are likely to create reverberations in the field for years to come. Ahmed succeeds in proposing a novel, coherent, compelling and non-essentialist re-conceptualisation of Islam capable of grappling with the human and historical phenomenon of Islam with all of its seeming inconsistencies and contradictions.
Three hypotheses dominate the literature on fertility and religion, viz., "particular theological... more Three hypotheses dominate the literature on fertility and religion, viz., "particular theological hypothesis" which argues that religious doctrines and ideologies influence contraceptive use and fertility behaviour of different religious groups; "characteristics hypothesis" which argues that differentials in fertility and contraceptive use between majority and minority religious groups are due to socio-economic and demographic factors; and "minority hypothesis" which asserts that minority-group status exerts an independent influence on fertility behaviour. These hypotheses are the subject of discussion in this paper as to how pervasive general explanation can be a limiting factor to contextual studies or local studies and what are the gaps or missing elements in these theories? In this paper, I would like to attempt to show how generalization can be applicable to any religious group in a pluralistic society and propose a "cultural hypothesis" which postulates that religious group differentials in reproductive behaviour may be due to differences in norms, values, and attitudes towards fertility among different religious groups. An empirical part of this paper attempts to explore the role of culture in the reproductive behaviour of Muslim women in Delhi, India.
For comprehensive understanding on the status of women it is very essential to know how they envi... more For comprehensive understanding on the status of women it is very essential to know how they envisage themselves The aim in this study is to investigate Muslim women's perception on the religio-cultural indicators (inheritance of property, Mehr system, dowry continuation) and non-cultural indicators (education and paid work participation) associated with their status enhancement. For the present study, 500 ever-married Muslim women of Delhi were interviewed. Cluster random sampling method was used. For the collection of data, techniques employed were Interview schedule and observation. The result suggests that Muslim women perceive that education (98 per cent) and paid-work participation (87 per cent) play huge roles in enhancement of status. However, Muslim women still have low percentage in paid-work participation, and descriptive interviews with them suggest that it is considered only an option to serve the family in financial crisis only. Its role in raising the status is still not being explored by them. Muslim women do not perceive religio-cultural indicators as an enhancer of women's status in contemporary times. This study also recommends reinterpretation in religio-cultural indicators related to Muslim women's status in view of contemporary socio-cultural surroundings, as well as the need for stringent enforcement agency/agencies of these indicators.
This review illustrates that differences in kinship system between north (by an large patrilineal... more This review illustrates that differences in kinship system between north (by an large patrilineal) and south (by an large matrilineal) of India is an important factor to bring about regional disparities in sex preference of children by the Hindu parents but not by the Muslim parents in whom Kinship system is traditionally unique as it shares similarity with Dravidian system in marriage pattern and inheritance from paternal side and similarity in kinship terminology with Indo Aryan system of the north while among the Hindus it is traditionally based on patrilineal inheritance, not withstanding the Hindu succession Act of 1956'. Though dowry and sex selective abortion are the determinants of status of women among the Hindus, they are generally not practiced among the Muslims. However, the lower education status, economic status and social status (due to patriarchy and religious ideologies) respectively and together produce circumstances leading to son being seen as the best socioeconomic insurance by the Muslim women. This review of studies conducted on the above topic shows that high fertility among the Muslim women is also a consequence of son preference arising out of socioeconomic compulsion in the traditional absence (due to strict religious prohibition) of sex selective abortions.
Indian nationalists considered the Khilafat Movement of [1919][1920][1921][1922][1923][1924] in I... more Indian nationalists considered the Khilafat Movement of [1919][1920][1921][1922][1923][1924] in India as an anti-colonial movement by the Indian Muslims. Most studies on the Khilafat movement perceive it as a pan-Islamic supranational phenomenon against the British hostility toward the Sultan of Turkey. This movement provided a platform for Indian Muslim leaders, such as Abul Kalam Azad, who represented Muslim politics in post-independence India. This paper aims to unravel the trajectory of the Khilafat Movement in India and its unity with the Indian Non-Cooperation Movement. Moreover, this paper examines the effect of this confluence that prompted change in the political ideology of Abul Kalam Azad, thereby influencing his path toward becoming a national leader in Hindu majority India.
For comprehensive understanding on the status of women it is very essential to know how they envi... more For comprehensive understanding on the status of women it is very essential to know how they envisage themselves The aim in this study is to investigate Muslim women's perception on the religio-cultural indicators (inheritance of property, Mehr system, dowry continuation) and non-cultural indicators (education and paid work participation) associated with their status enhancement. For the present study, 500 ever-married Muslim women of Delhi were interviewed. Cluster random sampling method was used. For the collection of data, techniques employed were Interview schedule and observation. The result suggests that Muslim women perceive that education (98 per cent) and paid-work participation (87 per cent) play huge roles in enhancement of status. However, Muslim women still have low percentage in paid-work participation, and descriptive interviews with them suggest that it is considered only an option to serve the family in financial crisis only. Its role in raising the status is still not being explored by them. Muslim women do not perceive religio-cultural indicators as an enhancer of women's status in contemporary times. This study also recommends reinterpretation in religio-cultural indicators related to Muslim women's status in view of contemporary socio-cultural surroundings, as well as the need for stringent enforcement agency/agencies of these indicators.
Three hypotheses dominate the literature on fertility and religion, viz., "particular theological... more Three hypotheses dominate the literature on fertility and religion, viz., "particular theological hypothesis" which argues that religious doctrines and ideologies influence contraceptive use and fertility behaviour of different religious groups; "characteristics hypothesis" which argues that differentials in fertility and contraceptive use between majority and minority religious groups are due to socio-economic and demographic factors; and "minority hypothesis" which asserts that minority-group status exerts an independent influence on fertility behaviour. These hypotheses are the subject of discussion in this paper as to how pervasive general explanation can be a limiting factor to contextual studies or local studies and what are the gaps or missing elements in these theories? In this paper, I would like to attempt to show how generalization can be applicable to any religious group in a pluralistic society and propose a "cultural hypothesis" which postulates that religious group differentials in reproductive behaviour may be due to differences in norms, values, and attitudes towards fertility among different religious groups. An empirical part of this paper attempts to explore the role of culture in the reproductive behaviour of Muslim women in Delhi, India.
This review illustrates that differences in kinship system between north (by an large patrilineal... more This review illustrates that differences in kinship system between north (by an large patrilineal) and south (by an large matrilineal) of India is an important factor to bring about regional disparities in sex preference of children by the Hindu parents but not by the Muslim parents in whom Kinship system is traditionally unique as it shares similarity with Dravidian system in marriage pattern and inheritance from paternal side and similarity in kinship terminology with Indo Aryan system of the north while among the Hindus it is traditionally based on patrilineal inheritance, not withstanding the Hindu succession Act of 1956'. Though dowry and sex selective abortion are the determinants of status of women among the Hindus, they are generally not practiced among the Muslims. However, the lower education status, economic status and social status (due to patriarchy and religious ideologies) respectively and together produce circumstances leading to son being seen as the best socioeconomic insurance by the Muslim women. This review of studies conducted on the above topic shows that high fertility among the Muslim women is also a consequence of son preference arising out of socioeconomic compulsion in the traditional absence (due to strict religious prohibition) of sex selective abortions.
This study is an account, largely based on fi eld research, of how Muslims in Delhi experience th... more This study is an account, largely based on fi eld research, of how Muslims in Delhi experience the public healthcare sector. It identifi es how negative memories of the Indian Emergency and sterilisation campaigns of that time may still get recalled today whenever any untoward incident happens concerning Indian Muslims in relation to public health services. The research seeks to identify to what extent this kind of historical memory translates into perceptions of disadvantage that then gradually initiate a process of self-exclusion, reinforcing a spiral of disadvantage.
/\ 48 A Study of Depression Among the Elderly of Delhi Rosina Nasir*, AK Kalla* and Preeti Shukla... more /\ 48 A Study of Depression Among the Elderly of Delhi Rosina Nasir*, AK Kalla* and Preeti Shukla* Abstract Due to urbanization, city based life, young people are sometime not in position to take care of aged people. In the city based life most aged people are left with feeling of ...
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