Reading a piece by Zephoria after long. Brilliant, illuminating piece this time. These lines… outstanding! Many people have a moment where they wake up and feel like the world doesn’t really work like they once thought or like they were once told. That moment of cognitive reckoning is overwhelming. It can be triggered by any … Continue reading Zephoria’s writing
Tag: Sociology
Art of Monstrous Men
The Paris Review ran a thought-provoking piece last month by Claire Dederer, who reflects upon What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? set against the backdrop of series of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by several famous men, who have also been exceptionally good at what they do for a profession. As Dederer … Continue reading Art of Monstrous Men
Learning with Tanzanite Group
Today, we close our sociology classes for the academic year. The group of kids (13-14 year old) with whom I have shared classroom time over the year were introduced to ideas of society, groups, norms and rules, sociological perspectives and institutions in a society. This was meant to be an introductory course. In two sessions … Continue reading Learning with Tanzanite Group
Indian sociology, if there is one
Last week was spent in listening to some of the best Indian minds in sociology during NIAS's annual seminar on nation, community and citizenship in contemporary India. It was also a fitting tribute to M N Srinivas in whose honour a panel discussion was organized. The discussions seemed in-line with his own way - stress-testing concepts and … Continue reading Indian sociology, if there is one
Explorations in Marxist social theory & a book review
This one will be a longer post than usual, but delights me especially because I could manage to get a somewhat minimal sense of the range of thoughts and ideas in the Marxist lineage, which has been a long going effort. The post includes a discussion of a clutch of the thinkers in a rather … Continue reading Explorations in Marxist social theory & a book review
Foucault Redux
On Technologies of the Self Foucault is back! Here at the university, where people just don’t get tired of including a paper or two in every course, from the wide range of topics he has written or lectured on. And it turns out that he is also back in academia going by citation figures of … Continue reading Foucault Redux
Sociology – Is it necessary to take sides?
The editors of n+1 magazine have gone whacking at the weeds that have grown in sociology as a discipline in their recent issue. Too Much Sociology discusses what is wrong with the nature of knowledge produced by sociology and the way it is used, appropriated or more often, tapped into, by arts, literature, politics and culture … Continue reading Sociology – Is it necessary to take sides?
Not sexy enough! Cultural encounters on the cricket field
As long as IPL was about a new format of cricket, entertainment and advertising, it was predictable and of minor interest to me. But I was hooked yesterday when I saw this fascinating encounter of the regular pompom wielding cheer girls of Chennai Super Kings with the elegantly attired (and beautiful) girls performing bharatanatyam-lavani blend ! That is a new battle field opening up … Continue reading Not sexy enough! Cultural encounters on the cricket field
Sociology of Law & Labour Welfare
I have been studying the building and construction workers in Bangalore as a part of an academic research for over six months now. The study emerges from a simple observation that many of us might have made commuting around in this city - that what explains such poor work, health and social conditions in which … Continue reading Sociology of Law & Labour Welfare
Holy cow, armchair anthropology & attraction of the ‘exotic’
A paper I recently read and which I had never known about (although some argue that it has been one of the most well known papers on culture & ecology) amazes me in its method and for the art of stating the obvious. Marvin Harris' paper The Cultural Ecology of India's Sacred Cattle 'attempts' to talks of … Continue reading Holy cow, armchair anthropology & attraction of the ‘exotic’
Contested Realities 