South Asian Culture Research Articles

Politico-Cultural-Religious Milieu of South East Asia: An Examination of Pre-Islamic Structures of Authority and Syncretic Practices

This paper analyses the structure of authorities and syncretic practices among the people in Southeast Asia before the spread of Islam in the region. The influence of South Asian tradition and culture in Southeast Asia was evident especially in the social and political spheres. Practices of Southeast Asian empires originated from the South Asian continent. In order to understand those influences this study analyses available materials related to the development of socio-political and cultural-religious environment in Southeast Asia prior to the advancement of Islam in the region. This study concludes that early kingdoms in Southeast Asia adopted the doctrines of devaraja and bodhisattva as the model of governance. This doctrine provides the Rulers with everlasting loyalty from their subjects. At the same time, religious life among the people in Southeast Asia highlights a unique practice. The syncretic practices of the people in Southeast Asia at that time prove that they did not follow blindly religious practices presented to them from the South Asian traditions. They adopt and adapt those practices to suit their own needs at that time.

Religion and Representation in the “New Brown America” of Muslim Comedy

Book Review| October 01 2018 Religion and Representation in the “New Brown America” of Muslim Comedy Jaclyn Michael Jaclyn Michael Jaclyn Michael is Assistant Professor of Asian Religions at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is a scholar of Islam with research specializations in performance studies, Asian religions, and South Asian literatures and cultures. Her current book project examines how performances of Indian Muslim identities in theatre, tourism, and cinema participate in debates about national history, politics, and religious belonging. She completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2016. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Ecumenica (2018) 11 (2): 62–67. https://doi.org/10.5325/ecumenica.11.2.0062 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Jaclyn Michael; Religion and Representation in the “New Brown America” of Muslim Comedy. Ecumenica 1 October 2018; 11 (2): 62–67. doi: https://doi.org/10.5325/ecumenica.11.2.0062 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectivePenn State University PressEcumenica Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2018 by The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.2018The Pennsylvania State University Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Reviving “A forgotten Sunna:” Hijamah (cupping therapy), prophetic medicine, and the re-Islamization of Unani medicine in contemporary India

Officially recognized as an Indigenous System of Medicine in India, Unani has been intimately connected to Muslim culture in South Asia. However, this connection has been downplayed by the government of India, which stressed the secular character of Unani and its Greek origins. Hijamah, or cupping therapy, is considered to be part of the regimental therapies of Unani medicine. Because hijamah has been mentioned in several Hadiths, it is also considered prophetic medicine. After what seems to be a long neglect of hijamah in the practice of Unani medicine, various hakims (Unani practitioners) are now promoting this therapy as a “forgotten Sunna.” This paper attends to the revival of hijamah in India at the intersections of Unani and prophetic medicine through an examination of clinical practices and advertisements. It argues that this revival is contributing to a re-Islamization of Unani medicine. The article suggests that this development is not just the product of an interest among Muslims in India to live according to the Sunna, but it is also influenced by the global market of Complementary and Alternative Medicine which the government of India seeks to lead.

Questioning Islamic Belief in Post-Genocide Bangladesh: Mu‘tazilites and Ash‘arites, Maya and Sohail

The civil war of 1971 between then West Pakistan and East Pakistan led to the formation of the new nation-state of Bangladesh—and to ongoing contestation about war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Many locals who once collaborated with the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani military have in recent years been held accountable before war crimes tribunals, including at least one prominent Islamist hanged. The crimes of 1971 included ethnic cleansing of Bengali Hindus and the mass murder of Bengali Muslims whose South Asian culture was identified as so reflective of Hindu influence as to be heretical. For many Bengali Muslims today, one question remains how an omnibenevolent and omnipotent Allah permitted Muslims to slaughter and rape hundreds of thousands of other Muslims along with tens of thousands of others. This question strikes to the heart of religious and cultural sensitivities central to contemporary Bangladeshi Muslim identity, and to the place of the nation’s foundational event in that identity. The author shows how two schools of Islamic theodicy and one secular novelist offer divergent answers to the question.

The Influence of Culture on Healthy Relationship Formation and Teen Dating Violence: A Qualitative Analysis of South Asian Female Youth Residing in the United States.

Teen dating violence (TDV) has well-documented detrimental health effects. Scant research has examined the perspectives of ethnically diverse youth about the impact of culture on TDV. We sought to explore the intersection between culture and TDV specifically for South Asian youth residing in the United States. We conducted semi-structured interviews with South Asian youth aged 16 to 21 years. Interviews included three aims: (a) exploring participants' perspectives on TDV and healthy relationships within the South Asian community, (b) examining how different components of their cultural identity affect their romantic relationships, and (c) understanding ideas for TDV prevention programs for South Asian youth. Interview transcripts were coded using thematic analysis. Twenty-five adolescent females participated; the majority (76%) trace their heritage to India, were born abroad (62%), and are in college (80%). The majority believed that dating was stigmatized within the South Asian community, forcing youth to hide relationships from their parents. Participants described aspects of culture that may negatively impact relationships (e.g., patriarchal attitudes and fear of stigma), as well as those that may protect teens (e.g., close-knit community). Conflicts about dating due to generational differences were also discussed. Participants suggested programs for South Asian youth focused on engaging parents in conversations about TDV and promoting gender equity. About half thought TDV prevention programs should be culturally tailored for South Asian youth, while others believed multicultural programs would be more effective. Although South Asian culture may confer some protection for youth experiencing TDV, stigma against dating and generational differences may create unique challenges. Future work should examine how to mediate parent-adolescent cultural conflicts around dating.

Mind, soul, and consciousness: religion, science, and the psy disciplines in modern South Asia

ABSTRACTThis introductory article lays out some of the key intellectual, therapeutic, political, and social concerns where religion, science, and the psy disciplines have come together – including what we ‘do’ with our experience of the world, and of ourselves; the means we choose to use in ordering our thoughts and emotions; the language(s) we deploy in doing so; and the authorities we look to for guidance. Short introductions are offered along the way to the work of scholars in this emerging field including Ashis Nandy and Nikolas Rose, alongside illustrative comparisons drawn from the Indian and Japanese contexts in the modern era. These latter span a range of concerns: the extension of interventionist ambitions by the modern state to include the utilization of the psy disciplines – theories, practitioners, institutions; the appearance of language associated with these disciplines in everyday life, sometimes using the health of individuals as a putative barometer of society’s health more broadly; and the power of entrepreneurial individuals to steer these disciplines in personalized directions, thanks both to their relative newness and the liminal nature of their subject matter. The chapter goes on to offer a survey of the articles featured in this special issue of South Asian History and Culture, contextualizing them and laying out the principal aims of the issue.

The Little India of Singapore: South Asian cultures and socio spatial rivalries

Le quartier de Serangoon road (Little India) est devenu, avec le soutien de la cite-Etat, la vitrine de l’identite indo-singapourienne. Ce territoire cumule aujourd’hui les fonctions de centre social, culturel, religieux et d’approvisionnement pour les populations d’origine sud-asiatique (Tamouls, Malayalis, Punjabis, Gujeratis, etc.) de l’ile. L’arrivee depuis les annees 1990 de travailleurs peu qualifies de l’Etat indien du Tamil Nadu et du Bangladesh a transforme la physionomie et l’utilisation du quartier. L’appropriation de Little India et la circulation en grand nombre d’etrangers peu qualifies le dimanche soir est a l’origine d’un nouveau probleme de cohabitation avec les autres usagers du quartier.

Abstract C01: Awareness of oral cancer among betel quid users in a high-risk refugee community

Abstract Introduction: Chronic mastication of betel nut (BN), a psychoactive substance, has been associated with oral cancer. However, BN continues to be used regularly among members of South and Southeast Asian cultures, including within the refugee resettlement area of Clarkston, GA. Our objective is to understand usage patterns of BN in this high-risk refugee population and assess knowledge gaps that may explain this disconnect. Methods: Patients from two clinics in Clarkston, GA were approached for the study. Patients who reported familiarity with BN were administered a survey on BN usage and health awareness; subsequently, an educational brochure was reviewed, and a post-test was administered. Results and frequencies were analyzed using Microsoft Excel (Redmond, WA). Results: 48 patients familiar with BN were surveyed. The most common ethnic groups were South (71%) and Southeast Asian (20%). 64.6% reported use themselves and 68.1% reported use by a family member; the average length of use was 3.34 and 15.24 years, respectively (p=0.0041). 42.8% reported social use, 28.6% reported usage during celebrations only, and 28.6% reported daily use. 69.6% reported consuming the nut only in quid form, composed of a mixture of the nut, leaf, spices, and other additives; 10.8% were unaware of the ingredients used. 32.4% reported using BN with tobacco. With regards to addiction, 29.5% reported concern about the habit, 40.9% wished they or their relatives could quit, and 31.8% had tried to quit. Only 13.6% have ever received resources on cessation. In this cohort, 75% believed BN was harmful for health, 9.1% believed it was beneficial, and 15.9% were unsure. The most common reasons cited for harm were teeth discoloration (29.26%), cancer (29.26%), tobacco contents (14.6%), and addiction (14.6%). Only 52.3% in this cohort believed BN alone could cause cancer, while 18.2% did not and 29.5% were unsure. In contrast, 88.6% believed BN with tobacco could cause cancer. Similarly, awareness of oral cancer symptoms was also low; 68.8% recognized cheek pain, 18.8% recognized ear pain, and 70% recognized a picture of tongue cancer. Conclusions: Our study illustrates patterns of BN usage and demonstrates notable knowledge gaps regarding health consequences of BN and oral cancer presentations in a high-risk refugee community. Our findings also highlight a lack of educational resources available to our cohort, despite reported interest in quitting. As recreational BN usage becomes more widespread, community initiatives are important in driving cessation. Citation Format: Danielle K. Depalo, Lucy L. Shi, Ella Bradford, Amy Y. Chen. Awareness of oral cancer among betel quid users in a high-risk refugee community [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C01.

The symbolism of ‘eco cars’ across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer

Transport choices are not merely practical decisions but steeped in cultural and societal perceptions. Understanding these latent drivers of behaviour will allow countries to develop and import policies to more successfully promote sustainable transport. Transport symbolism – what people believe their ownership or use of a mode connotes to others about their societal position – has been shown to be one such, non-trivial, hidden motivator. In the case of hybrid and electric cars (‘eco cars’), studies have demonstrated how their symbolic value varies within a society among different social groups. As yet, however, there has been scant research into comparing how the symbolism of a mode varies across national cultures, horizontally, between individuals with similar socio-demographic characteristics. Through qualitative thematic analysis, this study utilises two of Hofstede’s cross-cultural indices – power differential and individualism versus collectivism – to develop and strengthen theory on how the differing symbolism of eco cars currently varies between four cultural clusters – Anglo, Nordic, Confucian and South Asian. It also deliberates how observed symbolic qualitative differences may influence an individual or group choice to procure eco cars. Finally, it discusses how policy development, transfer and marketing, within the context of eco cars, may need to be modified by national governments, in the Confucian and South Asian cultures, so as to encourage uptake and modal shift.

Creolization, Hinduism, and Re-Worlding Trajectories in Contemporary Mauritian Fiction

ABSTRACTThis essay broadly examines how contemporary Mauritian novelist Amal Sewtohul underscores the specific contribution of South Asian cultures to the dynamics of creolization in the Mascarene region and the Indian Ocean. Focusing on the author's 2009 novel, Les Voyages et aventures de Sanjay, explorateur mauricien des Anciens Mondes, it reflects more specifically on the correlation and reciprocal impact which his literary work establishes between Hinduism (as a set of religious practices, beliefs, and performances) and Creolization (as a process of transcultural mixing whereby new meanings and identities are forged). Indeed, Sewtohul's representation of Hinduism as profoundly creolized not only reflects local syncretisms but also connects with broader processes of exchange, contamination, and variation across geographies and temporalities, that are part of what Édouard Glissant calls the Tout-monde.

Improvisation as devotion: nāgasvaram music and ritual communication in Hindu temple festival processions

ABSTRACTThis article situates melodic improvisation in South Indian (Tamil) culture, asking why ālāpana, a melodic and unmetered genre that encourages creativity and favours time flexibility, has become the norm to accompany South Indian temple festival processions, one of the most imposing manifestations of Hindu devotion. With reference to music performance, religious praxis and history, I argue that improvisation is central to devotional, bhakti-oriented modes of worship, and part of a ritual system in which all senses are used to enhance participants’ religious experience and facilitate human–divine communication. Drawing from extensive fieldwork research in Tamil Nadu, I hope to shed new light on the production and reception of ālāpana in South Asian culture and help understand further the function and significance of sound, music, hearing and imagination in Hindu South India.

Transmutations: Rejuvenation, Longevity, and Immortality Practices in South and Inner Asia

Wild and diverse outcomes are associated with transmutational practices: the prolongation of life, the recovery of youth, the cure of diseases, invincibility, immortality, enlightenment, liberation from the cycle of rebirths, and unending bliss. This range of outcomes is linked to specific practices taught in separate traditions and lineages in medical, alchemical, yogic and tantric milieus across South and Inner Asia. These practices can be individual or collective, esoteric or secular, and occur in different places from hospital to village to monastery; they involve transmutations of substances as well as transmutations of the body. Every expression by a particular lineage has a distinguishing articulation. Yet there are also very clear commonalities and interconnections between the traditions’ aims, methods and expected results. In this special issue of HSSA, we examine transmutational practices and their underlying concepts in this wider context of South and Inner Asian culture. How do these practices and ideas connect and cross-fertilise? And conversely, how are they delineated and distinct?

‘Precolonial Studies’: Emily Erikson on the English East India Company, the Advantages of Network Theory and the Rise of Populism in Contemporary United States

This interview with network theorist Emily Erikson took place in March 2017 when she visited Habib University in Karachi, Pakistan, for a lecture on the English East India Company. She talks about the advantages of network theory, the challenges of Twitter research and the reasons for the success of the English East India Company, which—according to Erikson—cannot be successfully explained by using a European cultures versus South Asian cultures framework. It also touches upon the critique of corporations in general and the possible links between globalisation and the rise of populism in the United States. Emily Erikson teaches sociology at Yale University and works on social networks and the development of institutions of capitalism and democracy. Her award-winning book Between Monopoly and Free Trade: The English East India Company (Princeton University Press, 2014) shows how an informal social network linking autonomous employees fostered the company’s long-term success, shedding light on the processes underpinning the emergence of early multinational firms and the structure of early modern global trade. Her forthcoming book New Knowledge: The Rise of Economics and Development of the Public Sphere identifies the causes stimulating the development of pre-classical economic thought in the seventeenth century. Erikson serves on the council for economic sociology of the American Sociological Association and on the executive council of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics. In addition, she serves on the editorial boards of Social Science History, Relational Sociology Series (Palgrave MacMillan), and is a founding member of the advisory board for the Journal of Historical Network Research.

Acculturation Strategies and Symptoms of Depression: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

Using latent class analysis, we previously identified three acculturation strategies employed by South Asian immigrants in the US. Members of the Separation class showed a preference for South Asian culture over US culture, while members of the Assimilation class showed a preference for US culture, and those in the Integration class showed a similar preference for South Asian and US cultures. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between these acculturation strategies and symptoms of depression, a common yet underdiagnosed and undertreated mental disorder. We used data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study (n = 856). Data were collected between October 2010 and March 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D Scale. Applying a simple new method to account for uncertainty in class assignment when modeling latent classes as an exposure, we found that respondents in the Separation class had more depressive symptoms than those in the Integration class, but only after taking into account self-reported social support (b = 0.11; p = 0.05). There were no differences in depressive symptoms among those in the Assimilation class vs. those in the Integration class (b = -0.06; p = 0.41). Social support may protect against elevated symptoms of depression in South Asian immigrants with lower levels of integration into US culture.

Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling of socio-cultural constructs among chamorro and non-chamorro micronesian betel nut chewers

ABSTRACTObjectives: Betel nut chewing is embedded within the cultures of South Asia, and Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. The determinants of betel nut consumption are complex. Ongoing consumption of betel nut is affected by cultural, social, and drug-specific effects (i.e. dependence). This study’s first objective was to assess the psychometric properties (i.e. reliability and validity) of the socio-cultural constructs in a survey developed for betel nut chewers. The study’s second objective was to investigate the influence of socio-cultural variables on betel nut chewing behaviors among Chamorro and non-Chamorro Micronesians in Guam.Design: The current study was a secondary analysis of a larger study (N = 600; n = 375 chewers and n = 225 former chewers) that examined socio-cultural factors that influence why chewers chew betel nut, along with assessing chewing behaviors, perceptions of risks, probability of changing behaviors, and methods that could be used to reduce use or quit. The socio-cultural constructs of the survey were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.Results: The socio-cultural factors were a sufficient fit with data and the instrument is reliable and valid, as indicated by various model fit indices (χ2 (13) = 18.49 with p = .14, TLI = .99, CFI = 1.00, SRMR = .02, RMSEA = .03 with 90% CIs [.00,.07]). Cronbach’s alpha, the sign and magnitude of the factor loadings, the inter-factor correlations, and the large proportion of variance extracted for each factor, all indicate that the instrument is reliable and valid. Additionally, multivariate analyses showed that socio-cultural reasons were important contributing or chewing betel nut. Participants cited chewing because their friends and family members chewed, the behavior is embedded within their culture, and it would be considered rude and disrespectful to not chew.Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study provides important implications pertaining to creating culturally appropriate cessation programs.

Embracing academic elitism

ABSTRACTThis note began as a conversation at the South Asian History and Culture Roundtable of 2016. The conversation had started out as an attempt to explore ways of being ‘differently academic’, but soon became one about ‘academic elitism’ and the role the double-bind peer review. Was the peer review merely a way of social exclusion engineered to keep out those who do not conform to a narrow set of ideological positions? Or was it a genuinely valuable vetting mechanism that ensures the integrity and quality of research? These questions cannot be considered without taking account of the ways in which anti-elitism has itself become a political issue mobilized by new forms of populist politics. Not just in South Asia, but across the world, we see populist politicians casting any kind of intellectual activity, particularly those devoted to humanist inquiry, as elitism. Such anti-intellectualism by masquerading as a form of anti-elitism has often paralyzed left-liberal opinion. Confronting this right-wing, populist anti-intellectualism is particularly important for disciplines like History and to do so we must embrace a certain kind of ‘academic elitism’. At the same time, academic elitism cannot be allowed to legitimize or enable social elitism nor be confused with a meritocracy.

Rethinking the border security force

ABSTRACTThis opinion piece engages critically with the status of the peer-reviewed article and the role of the peer reviewer as a central feature of established academic practice. It situates the peer-review process in the development of academic practice, both generally and in the specific context of South Asian Studies, and asks how it may be developed to reflect the concerns and rapidly changing parameters of contemporary academics. The piece was written as a result of involvement in a one-day round-table meeting organized by the editor of South Asian History and Culture on the theme of ‘Journals as actors in the academic world. Existing and changing roles’. The author is the editor of the journal Contemporary South Asia (CSA), but the views expressed here are the personal opinions of the author. They do not reflect the editorial position of CSA.

A concept analysis in relation to the cultural competency of the palliative care workforce in meeting the needs of young people from South Asian cultures.

Using keywords, we searched the online databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, and PubMed from January of 1990 through to December of 2016. Some 1543 articles were retrieved, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. A total of 38 papers were included in the concept analysis. The data were analyzed using Coad's (2002) adapted framework based on Rodgers's (1989) evolutionary concept analysis, focusing on the attributes, antecedents, consequences, and related terms in relation to culturally competent care. A model case of culturally competent care was also constructed. The literature provides evidence that the concept of culturally competent care is a complex one, which is often expressed ambiguously. In addition, there is a paucity of research that involves service users as experts in defining their own needs and assessing their experiences related to cultural care. Cultural care should be integral to holistic patient care, irrespective of a person's race or ethnicity. There is an urgent need to involve young BAME patients with palliative care needs and their families in the development of a robust tool to assess cultural competency in clinical practice.

Walking for leisure: the translocal lives of first generation Gujarati Indian men and women

Walking as a leisure pastime is particularly popular amongst first generation members of the South Asian community. Whilst the lives of younger generations of South Asian men and women have tended to be at the forefront of academic debates, this has had the unfortunate effect of reducing the subjectivities of older groups to more narrow and fixed ideas about South Asian traditions and cultures. Thus limiting an understanding of their identities as also being hybrid, multiple and in-process. Additionally, much of the research about the leisure lives of migrant groups has been based upon research about the subjectivities and belongings of men, the histories of women have been relatively ignored. In order to address these absences, this research utilised participatory methods to explore first generation Gujarati Indian men and women’s particular experiences of walking. The research findings revealed that the spaces/places that they walked through and across as part of their daily routines whilst relatively ordinary, were deeply meaningful, they enabled the participants to forward the translocal character of their identities over time and across space.

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community

Reading Together, Reading Apart: Identity, Belonging, and South Asian American Community