Modern Project Research Articles

REASONS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING AGILE IN TODAY’S UNPREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENT

Irma Chkhaidze
 E-mail: chkhaidze.irma@bsu.edu.ge 
 Associate Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University 
 Batumi, Georgia
 https://orcid.org/000-0003-4430-181X 
 Abstract. This article explores the efficacy of the Agile method in managing business projects, which enables companies to attain a competitive edge and sustain dynamic capabilities amidst rapidly evolving global circumstances.
 The article focuses on the "Agile" transformation, which is identified as a key priority for companies facing unpredictable changes in both the global context and in Georgia. This transformation is being implemented gradually, in line with contemporary challenges, and involves reshaping the hierarchical structure of organizations and redistributing functions based on employees' abilities, with the goal of creating professional teams. Consequently, the study aims to develop a strategy for efficient project management in Georgian companies and explore effective ways to implement it.
 The research findings uncovered the primary obstacles to companies transitioning to the method of rapid management of innovative business projects: challenges pertaining to organizational culture, resistance to change, lack of management support, unmotivated teams, and low skills among team members.
 The challenges associated with implementing the Agile methodology in the project management process were identified as follows: gaining competitiveness in the international and regional market, limited practical experience in IT Agile, and introducing innovations that do not align with user needs when using the waterfall method.
 The positive aspects of the rapid management of innovative business projects were assessed as follows: flexibility, customer collaboration, enhancement of goods and services through the implementation of short cycle processes, and incremental innovations aimed at meeting customer requirements.
 Through research, the alignment of the values of companies utilizing modern project management methods in Georgia with the principles of Agile project management was examined. These principles include teamwork, increased autonomy, high trust, customer feedback, enhanced adaptability to change, improved communication within and between teams, and the implementation of a results-oriented control process.
 The effectiveness of the Agile method was found to be contingent upon the development of a long-term motivational strategy. This strategy is based on two key factors: firstly, the creation and maintenance of a competent team, and secondly, ongoing collaboration with customers.

NORAD Modernization: Private Benefits to Canada

ABSTRACT The workhorse of military alliances theory is the joint products model where the prominent existence of private benefits from alliance activities alleviates the free-riding problem. In the case of NORAD Modernization project, there are potentially large private economic benefits accruing to Canada. These benefits may include technology transfers and domestically produced inputs from some sectors exhibiting comparative advantage. In this latter case, the benefits will largely depend on whether a JSF type consortium will undertake the investments efficiently as opposed to the so-called benefits obtainable from Canada’s fundamentally inefficient offsets program, Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB). The article focuses on Canada’s Key Industrial Capabilities (KIC), the 17 sectors officially selected as supporting the country’s operational capabilities. The width of this selection as well as the procurement and industrial policy interaction are briefly discussed.

Оценка перспектив развития предприятий лесного хозяйства Республики Башкортостан

The high level of power supply and technical provision of logging, along with advanced technologies, ensure the enterprise’s competitiveness. The current state of facilities and resources at forestry institutions in the regions is, as a rule, unsatisfactory. Significant engineering and technological backwardness of facilities and resources is due to the specifics of the modern structure of the forest sector. With the purpose of ensuring the production effectiveness of forestry institutions in the regions on the basis of increasing the level of power supply and technical provision for logging, it is necessary to carry out appropriate research. The methods for assessing the forest as an ecosystem are a relevant area of theoretical and applied research. There are 3 basic methods used in world and Russian practice in the assessment of natural resources: comparative, cost, and income. The methodology of cost estimate for natural resources provides a flexible system of indices, which allow assessing natural resources depending on the amount of available information and practical purposes. In terms of spatial economics we propose to develop a pilot project to improve the efficiency of production in the state autonomous forestry institutions of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The project is intended to provide practical guidance on the allocation of 2–3 groups of forestry institutions. We used an expert approach to assess the rating of forestries. Our earlier estimates for forestry enterprises in the Republic of Bashkortostan (state autonomous institutions) were used as the basis for it. The values of quantitative criteria include expert estimates and statistical information from numerous sources, such as reports, handbooks, results of surveys, interviews, etc. The criteria were divided into 2 groups: quantitative (availability of logging equipment, transport accessibility, calculated logging area) and qualitative (state of the logging equipment, repair depot, and management structure). According to the results of the integral assessment, the forestries are divided into 4 groups. Based on the assessment performed, it is advisable to identify the points of growth in the pilot project of modernization the facilities and resources of forestry enterprises. For citation: Konshakova S.A., Bulkhov N.A., Zaikin A.N., Kuznetsov S.G., Sivakov V.V. Assessment of the Development Potential of Forestry Enterprises of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 4, pp. 202–214. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-4-202-214

Making MalagasyZebu: The Biopolitics of Cattle Commodification in Socialist Madagascar, 1960–1978

AbstractAt the dawn of Madagascar’s independence in 1960, political entrepreneurs harnessed the enduring significance of Malagasy cattle, known aszebu, and declared them integral to the new national identity. From 1960–1972, President Philibert Tsiranana led the country through the period known as the First Republic, in which officials and technocrats launched development projects around breeding and constructing abattoirs and feedlots, in the hopes of creating a viable international meat export economy. For elites,zebuserved as speculative vessels for remaking economic and political geographies and shifting away from dependence on French interests. Malagasy government officials and technical experts saw pastoralists as key to actualizing the economic potential of cattle and they sought to combat “peasant idleness” as a hindrance to Madagascar’s flourishing. Pastoralists, though, challenged the bounds of top-down authority and debated the kinds of knowledge that could and should inform modernization projects in the new nation-state. Cattle ranchers’ critiques of the logics and encroachment of prescriptive modernization schemes during the 1960s and 1970s can be understood as their insistence on sharing in the fruits of independence, and that they, with their deep knowledge of cattle behavior, had a role to play in forging meaningful, prosperous lives in broader ancestor-focused cosmologies. Investigating the twinned history of Madagascar’s beef exportation and cattle modernization plans reveals how cattle were enlisted in the project of nation-making and a crucial moment of possibility, in which state-crafters ambitiously pursued a path toward self-determination while navigating oscillating geopolitics and asymmetrical global economic relations.

Field Agricultural Extension Workers’ Influence as Mediators on The Success of Strategic Irrigation Modernization and Urgent Rehabilitation Project (SIMURP) program

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Selection of an optimal cable brand for high-voltage overhead power lines based on criterion analysis

This paper is aimed at developing a versatile approach to selecting an optimal cable brand for overhead transmission lines for use in design practice, adapted to conventional and new-generation cable types. To implement multi-criterion evaluation of external factors and limitations when selecting a cable type, the methods of systems, hierarchy and comparative analysis were used. A method for selecting an optimal cable brand based on hierarchy analysis was developed along with an algorithm for its implementation when designing new or modernizing existing overheadlines. The developed approach is demonstrated on the example of construction and modernization of 220 kV overhead lines with the conventional AC cable and such new-generation domestic brands, as АСВТ, АСВП, АСк2у and АСТ. In the considered examples, the technical feasibility of the construction of a new overhead line was limited by the value of the sag. For the modernization project, the specific weight of the cable was of greater importance. The selection criteria included the span length, cable cost and admissible continuous current. The АСВП and АСТ cable brands showed the greatest compliance with the selection criteria (27.5% and 55.9%, respectively). Therefore, at minimum capital investments, the АСВП brand ensures the optimum span length in the construction of a new overhead line, whereas the ACT brand ensures the maximum capacity in the modernization of an existing line. The conducted verification calculations confirmed the feasibility and versatility of the proposed method for selecting a cable brand.

Enhancing bioavailability of natural extracts for nutritional applications through dry powder inhalers (DPI) spray drying: technological advancements and future directions.

Natural ingredients have many applications in modern medicine and pharmaceutical projects. However, they often have low solubility, poor chemical stability, and low bioavailability in vivo. Spray drying technology can overcome these challenges by enhancing the properties of natural ingredients. Moreover, drug delivery systems can be flexibly designed to optimize the performance of natural ingredients. Among the various drug delivery systems, dry powder inhalation (DPI) has attracted much attention in pharmaceutical research. Therefore, this review will focus on the spray drying of natural ingredients for DPI and discuss their synthesis and application.

Determinants of the adoption of different good agricultural practices (GAP) in the command area of PMAMP apple zone in Nepal: The case of Mustang district

The study was carried out to determine the factors affecting the adoption of good agriculture practices (GAP) for apple production in the Prime-Minister Agriculture Modernization Project's (PMAMP) apple zone of Mustang district. Altogether, 100 households from Thasang and Gharapjhong rural Municipalities were chosen for the study by a stratified random sampling technique. Descriptive statistical tools, logistic regression and t-test were used to analyze the data which were collected from the semi-structured interview schedule. Out of the ten selected good agriculture practices standards, intercropping practices were adopted by the majority of respondents (83%) while the ring method of irrigation (19%) was found to be the least adopted. The magnitude of logistic regression coefficients of good agriculture practices revealed that occupation was a highly significant (p < 0.01) socio-economic variable influencing the adoption of good agriculture practices. Similarly, age, apple cultivated land, economically active population, institutional involvement, and loan for apple cultivation was also found significant (p < 0.05) for the adoption of different good agriculture practices. From the independent t-test, the productivity of apples was found significantly different between the farmers with and without: recommended nutrient management system, intercropping (p < 0.05), recommended pit dimension and irrigation interval (p < 0.10). The major problem in apple production were also identified. Based on the findings, increase in apple cultivated land, increase number of apples growing farmers, active role of institution and availability of credit to farmers are suggested to increase the adoption of different GAP in apple. The problems identified in apple production shall be prioritized to boost apple production and marketing. The policy makers and practitioners should prioritize the significant socio-economic characters and determinants in different stages of planning and implementation of program and policies.

Методологические аспекты организации грузоперевозок железнодорожным транспортом в проектах развития Восточного полигона с учетом рисков инфраструктурных ограничений

Purpose: To develop a methodology for the organization of freight transportation in the project of comprehensive modernization of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and Trans-Siberian Railway (Transsib) (Eastern polygon). Methods: The study is based on operational data of freight traffic on the railway infrastructure of the Eastern polygon of JSC "Russian Railways", their systematization and analysis. The method of in-depth analysis of structured data on the dependence of the performance indicators of the projected railway infrastructure and the passage of projected freight volumes, taking into account empty wagons, is used. Results: The methodology of regulation of the organization of freight rail transportation has been updated. The key problems, risks and restrictions of freight transportation in the Eastern polygon development project are classified. The results of statistical processing and data mining are presented, specifying the parameters of the forecast model for the growth of freight volumes and the increase in the capacity of the Eastern polygon. An algorithm has been developed for analyzing freight rail transportation in the projects of the development of the Eastern polygon, taking into account the risks of infrastructure restrictions. Practical significance: An assessment of the degree to which risks of infrastructure restrictions impact the effectiveness of the organizing freight traffic in the railway infrastructure development project is given.

Engineering Management: A Comprehensive Review of Challenges, Trends, and Best Practices

Abstract: Engineering management is a multidisciplinary field that combines technical knowledge with management skills, aiming to efficiently develop and execute engineering projects. The increasing complexity of modern projects and the dynamic environment in which they are executed have led to the development of various tools, methodologies, and best practices to improve project outcomes. This paper reviews the literature on engineering management, discussing its challenges, emerging trends, and best practices. The findings reveal that effective engineering management is crucial for achieving project success and that organizations must adapt to the rapidly changing landscape.&#x0D;

The efficiency of the horizontal directional drilling method in the rehabilitation and modernization projects of the underground infrastructure

"The evolution of human society was and is dependent on natural resources (oil, natural gas, coal, ores, industrial water, drinking water, etc.) and, obviously, on their transportation through pipelines. The existence of resources in the earth's crust, at depths not always accessible, required the finding of methods for their exploration and exploitation. Consequently, in the last 30 years, drilling methods, techniques and technologies have been developed. Today, the Horizontal Directional Drilling method covers the entire geological spectrum, and in terms of rehabilitation and modernization projects of the underground infrastructure, it ensures high quality. Therefore, Horizontal Directional Drilling is the smart, clean and efficient solution for installing the network sections to be installed. The authors, under the auspices of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences (ASTR) and the General Association of Romanian Engineers (AGIR), in this paper, highlight the use and advantages of Horizontal Directional Drilling. The main objective is to install such services in Romania without using traditional trenching methods, helping to avoid any unnecessary impact on the environment and, evidently, offering extra security. "

Forecasting the Performance Measurement for Iraqi Oil Projects using Multiple Linear Regression

Many oil and gas projects have been subjected to significant cost overruns and schedule delays, which is a major concern for the decision-makers in the oil industry. This paper aims to develop three mathematical models to estimate earned value indicators, the Schedule Performance Index (SPI), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and To-Complete Cost Performance Indicator (TCPI), to reduce the cost and time estimation error in Iraqi oil projects. The research methodology adopted artificial intelligence techniques using Multiple Linear Regression technology (MLR) to predict Earned Value (EV) Indexes to get standard local equations to measure the performance of Iraqi oil projects. The data is based on (83) monthly reports from 26 June 2015 to 25 August 2022 collected from the Karbala Refinery Project, selected as a case study. It is one of the Oil Projects Company (SCOP)- the Iraqi Ministry of Oil’s massive and modern projects, and it combines several projects into one project. The results showed numerous significant points, such as the average accuracy (AA%) for the CPI, SPI, and TCPI was 95.194%, 92.195%, and 83.706%, respectively, while the correlation coefficients (R) were 92.4%, 98.4%, and 93.7%. It was shown that there were relatively few differences between the theoretical and actual results. Therefore, the MLR technique was utilized in this paper to derive the prediction models for its more correct earned value predictions.

The relationship between working in the "gig" economy and perceived subjective well-being in Western Balkan countries.

The combination of accelerated digitalization and the recent COVID-19 crisis has increased the number of remote workers worldwide to unimaginable proportions. Among the large number of remote workers that execute their projects from home, there is a significant number of permanently self-employed remote workers, usually referred to as freelancers. Despite the importance of this kind of business activity for modern project management society, perceived drivers of freelancing are still unknown. The goal of this paper was to shed some light on the general subjective well-being of freelancing activity and investigate differences concerning gender, age, and education. The study was performed in late 2020 and included 471 freelancers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro that participated in an online questionnaire evaluating their subjective well-being while participating in the "gig" economy. Factor analysis was used as a primary statistical method and two major groups were identified: (1) Impact of working from home on a freelancer's personal life and health and (2) Fulfillment of expectations in the economic and professional sense. Gender was found not to be significant for overall work satisfaction. However, older freelancers proved to be more satisfied with the fulfillment of economic and professional expectations, which correlate with years of professional experience. Another conclusion is that more educated freelancers are generally less satisfied with both groups of drivers - fulfillment of personal life and professional expectations. Understanding how the combination of occupations, technological infrastructure, and demographic characteristics in the region has affected the well-being of freelancers may help policymakers and organization owners, as well as future entrepreneurs, better prepare for this model of work in the future. It also increases the possibility of exploring individual dimensions of wellbeing useful for targeting interventions at the level of each country separately. In line with this, the present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge and the impact of hybrid models of work on the subjective well-being of workers in the "gig" economy.

GENERATIVE PRACTICES IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: THE PHYGITAL ASPECT OF ARTISTIC DESIGN

The concept of phygital (from the words "physical" and "digital"), as the name implies, involves the synthesis of physical and digital components. This concept originated in the field of marketing; however, today it is increasingly used in various fields of science, including art history, and reflects a new trend in the world of art and design when the boundaries between offline and online environments are blurred. Earlier, the Internet was used mainly as a tool for promotion and communication, whereas in recent years the virtual and the real are beginning to interact more closely. The transformation of the virtual into the real and vice versa is becoming one of the key areas of contemporary art; more and more works exist "at the junction" of artistic expression and design solutions. In this regard, researchers of modern culture and art are faced with a number of questions about the nature and aesthetic potential of phygital. The purpose of this study was to analyse a number of representative projects of creative industries created at the intersection of analog and digital representation, to identify their specifics and expressive possibilities, as well as to clarify the specifics of image transformation during online-offline transgression. The results of the study revealed that today a special place in the field of phygital projects is occupied by works made by designers and artists using generative models. This is facilitated by the active development of machine learning. In particular, we are talking about artificial intelligence and its capabilities, which have recently become the focus of attention of artists, designers, and researchers of contemporary art. In 2019, the work Neural Street Art appeared on the wall of a multi-storey building in Yekaterinburg (Popova St., 9). With the help of machine algorithms, a mosaic, created by an artist in the 4th century AD to decorate the Spanish villa La Olmeda, was recreated. The image was applied to the building by a robot printer developed by the STENOGRAFFIFA creative team. The work of a “distributed author”, a meta-author [6] according to P.Galanter (an unknown artist of the Flavian era, the Yandex neural network, a robot-printer, creative teams that made the corresponding technologies and software), raises questions about the connection between digital and physical and the prospects of a generative human - machine creativity. Increasingly, representatives of creative industries are using neural networks to create works: for example, Scott Eaton demonstrated sculptures created “in collaboration” with AI at the Artist + AI: Figures and Forms exhibition, in particular, the bronze Human Allocation of Space (2019). At the same time, digital copies of their works are often created for artists using NFT technologies. For example, Filipino artist Bjorn Calleja, known for his NFT projects, creates tiny sculptures of his animated characters and then digitises them again as NFT tokens (in .glb format for 3D models). More and more works of artists and designers created with the help of neural networks (GAN - generative-adversarial neural network, CAN - creative-adversarial neural network) acquire not just a physical but a phygital embodiment. This is not only about "twinning", i.e. NFT twins of physical copies of objects, but about hybrid works and installations that exist simultaneously in digital and physical spaces. Thus, we came to the conclusion about the special role of artificial intelligence in modern phygital projects in creative industries, as well as the importance of the development of virtual and augmented reality as a space for the existence of works of this type. This study outlines the advantages of the phygital format for the designer's work, as well as the expressive possibilities of online-offline transition in the space of contemporary art, classifies art spaces at the intersection of physical and digital, features phygital as a means of communication relevant to today's visual culture.

Evaluation of the Symbols of Modernization of Bulgaria at the Turn of the XIX and XX Centuries in the Descriptions of Russian Travelers

The article provides a discursive analysis of the descriptions of Bulgaria compiled by Russian travelers in the first years after the fall of S. Stambolov and the normalization of relations between the two countries, in semiotic and axiological aspects. Publications in newspapers and books of those years, materials of the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art are compiled. On their basis, the features of Bulgarian public life that the authors paid the most attention to are highlighted: urban improvement, political development, attitude to religion and culture. Based on the analysis of the attitude to these symbols of modernity and Westernization, it is assumed that the descriptions of Bulgaria by Russian eyewitnesses contain elements of both oriental and occidental discourse, and the descriptions are based on a comparison of Bulgaria with an ideal modernization project.

Вооруженный конфликт как медиапроект XXI в.: украинский кейс

Introduction. Modern armed confrontation has an obligatory information component and, moreover, can be a kind of media project in a situation where the confrontation is based on a contradiction between military and political goals. Based on the results obtained, the authors concluded that new media are a mechanism for implementing a media project to transform “real” reality, change the media and supra-real (cognitive, mental, or reflective) realities. Methods and materials. During the study, over 1900 images and videos were analyzed posted in the network communities of social media VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Twitter, as well as the Telegram communication messenger, from February to May 2022. Analysis. Modern armed confrontation is a new type of social connection since the Internet, social media, and politics form new political and communicative ties in society, which, in turn, create or destroy political forces and change political regimes and economic players for markets. Result. The authors propose a model connecting physical, informational, and virtual spaces, explaining network communication creation and functioning. This model influences politics, economics, resources, and territories through people’s mass consciousness. Authors’ contribution. G.V. Kosov developed the theoretical basis of the study and carried out the general scientific editing of the article. O.V. Yarmak analyzed the dominant trends in modern media projects and the Ukrainian case. O.M. Litvishko interpreted the results of theoretical and empirical studies characterizing the process of forming a new media project. A.E. Gapich organized studies of images and videos posted in the network communities of social media (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Twitter), as well as the Telegram messenger.

Evolution of the cadastre renewal understanding in Türkiye: A fit-for-purpose renewal model proposal

Keeping the cadastre up to date is as important as establishing it for securely conducting people-to-land relations. As a concept, cadastral renewal refers to digitising the cadastral plan and correcting errors because of cadastre in the legal land registry information, updating them in a format and structure to create infrastructure for spatial information systems, making them available for use. Before 1987, cadastral work was conducted following various production methods and laws of the period. As a result of rapid urbanisation, the transformation of rural areas into urban areas, and the increase in the value of parcels, the delay in land-related investment projects because cadastral data and technical documents do not meet the expectations of accuracy and completeness, has been discussed for a long time in the country. Cadastral renewal projects carried out in places of urgent need because of technical and legal problems have become state policies with the Land Registry and Cadastre Modernization Project (TKMP), initiated in 2007 using the resources provided by the World Bank. In this project, it was determined that 22.3 million of the existing 58.3 million cadastral parcels in Türkiye should be renewed. As of 2021, approximately 14 million parcels have been renewed by the participation of the private sector while the renewal of the rest has been ongoing. This study examined the adequacy of the existing land registry and cadastre data within the scope of rural cadastral renewal. In this framework, the cadastral technical file, land book, and land registry information in the Land Registry and Cadastre Information System (TAKBIS) were compared within the classification framework, and their differences were determined. In addition, the parcel areas calculated by initial cadastral surveys years ago to establish the cadastre were compared with the legal areas and new areas of the parcels calculated after the renewal. It was found that 90.37% of the parcel areas calculated based on the initial surveys were consistent with those calculated after the renewal, whereas 67.47% were consistent with the legal areas within the tolerance values. According to these results, supported by other findings, cost-effective and rapid cadastre renewal has been proposed.

FORMATION OF THE UKRAINIAN NATION: ETHNOCULTURAL TRADITIONS AND HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Ukraine's frontline position between the West and the East influenced nation–building. The modern civil nation in the country is formed on the basis of Ukrainians, who are an ethnic majority, although there are minorities. The task of the study is to consider this basis for the formation of the nation and the circumstances of its formation. Themethodology is the concepts of nation–building, which combines moderate primordialism and constructivism, and frontier theory. Results. Ukrainians are a nation with an ancient agricultural culture, which determined the specifics of life, holidays and ceremonies, oral art, worldview of the people. In the twentieth century, as a result of the modernization of society and negative Soviet practices, many ancient elements of culture are a thing of the past. But a number of traditions have retained functionality (in construction, agriculture, clothing, food), and some have become national symbols (embroidery, jewelry, traditional cuisine, kobza culture, etc.). The Cossacks greatly influenced the formation of the Ukrainian nation. Cossacks – originally a frontline society, during the Cossack Revolution in the middle of the XVII century won the position of social elite in the newly created state of the Zaporozhian Cossack Army (autonomy within the Russian Empire). The heroics of the Cossack struggle formed the basis of Ukrainian identity, and the Cossack subculture became dominant. The ethnonym «Ukrainians» is the name of the population of the Cossack region, whose dialect formed the basis of the Ukrainian literary language. With the decline of ancient Russia, Ukraine was part of several states and was united in the middle of the twentieth century as part of the USSR. Only since 1991 has a modern state project been implemented in Ukraine. Nation–building began in the nineteenth century and came to an end with independence. The brake factors were the colonial legacy and the influence of the former metropolis. Being on the border between East and West, Ukraine made the final choice in favor of the latter during the revolutions of 2004 and 2014 and the large–scale Russian–Ukrainian war. Ethnic minorities rallied around Ukrainians, which was facilitated by the legal consolidation of European rights and freedoms, as well as religious tolerance. During the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, all denominations, except the UOC–MP, supported the idea of Ukraine's independence. The Ukrainian language is recognized by the only state majority of the country's population, which is an additional factor in uniting the Ukrainian nation in the conditions of Russia's political leadership's inclusion of all Russian–speakers in the «Russian world».

Locality in national and global perspectives: An agenda for research

Prior to 1966, Indonesia was regarded as a country with an outdated order system. After the establishment of a new social order characterized by the incorporation of markets into people's lives, this period came to an end. The market's integration into society has transformed traditional self-sufficiency through subsistence production practices into a market-oriented and centralized modern society oriented toward the market. Various local beliefs, values, and practices have been supplanted with new ones as a result of the modern nation's formation. The national language, which functions as a measure of nationalism, has become a central factor that has transformed and threatened local languages. As a result, the influence of local languages has diminished significantly as urbanization, the offspring of welfare programs, has increased. National legal policies are enforced despite coexisting with customary laws, demonstrating modernization's dominance over marginalized local cultures. Under the guise of "progress," the new lifestyle is a component of the modernization project that not only shapes a new social practice but also disorients values and adds new hues to the system of ideas, values, and social practices that serve as the basis for societal development.

Performing Heroic Laziness

This paper theorizes a concept of performance of everyday life at the intersection of performance theory, history and philosophy to posit the everyday as a world-historical stage on which subjects enact forms of historical consciousness. It takes as its empirical ground two historical iterations of a social club known as Thalua Club (Idlers' Club) that took shape in Banaras (Varanasi) – an ancient commercial and Hindu pilgrimage centre and currently the nerve centre of Hindu nationalist politics in India. The idea of a Thalua Club first finds expression in a satirical work from 1928 of the same name, in which the author, Gulab Rai – through the character of 'Devotee of Laziness' (Alasya-bhakt) – affirms the performance of 'uselessness' as a way to resist the 'tumultuous storm of usefulness' that capitalism augured. The club itself, which Rai is believed to have founded in Banaras in his time, was re-established in 1961 by the next generation of Banarasis on the new world-historical stage of postcoloniality and state-sponsored industrial modernization. However, in its second iteration, Thalua Club captures a particular historical anxiety of the Banarasis that stems from the peripheral role that Banaras is accorded in the project of modernization and nation-building as compared to other metropolitan cities. By analysing the two historical iterations, this paper problematizes extant postmodern theories of everyday life that conceive of performance of everyday life as merely individual, arbitrary acts of a subject imbued with agency, thus failing to grasp the specific ways in which it is shaped by history. In contrast, it calls for theorization of performance of everyday life that is not only deeply rooted in empirical history but is also impelled by an objective, world-historical consciousness that transcends its cultural particularity.