South Asia Research

The article investigates the relationship between canonical rules (dharma) and customary rules (maryādā) in contemporary Jain mendicant life. It focuses on an analysis of the Terāpanth śvetāmbara Jain mendicant order and presents translations and analyses of the rules and regulations and initiation rituals for a new category of Jain novices, the saman order, which was introduced by the Terāpanth in 1981. It is argued that variations and cumulative changes in post-canonical monastic law can be understood in terms of rule specification and secondary canonization and not only in terms of exceptions to the rule. The article contributes both to the anthropology of South Asian asceticism and monasticism and to the exploration of the maryādā and āvaśyaka literatures of the Jains.

This paper examines the Indian response to the development of an honours system and imperial rites in India in the first half of the nineteenth century, and in particular the efforts by the Jejeebhoy family and its supporters to obtain the Indian businessman Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy a hereditary baronetcy prior to his death. It argues that the baronetcy scheme of Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy and the Indian response to honours in general marked the recognition of the important role of imperial ideology among Indians.

Karur district has been traditionally committed to the production of textiles. Nowadays the local economy totally depends on this mainly export-oriented sector. The production is organized on a sub-contracting basis and collective efficiency is obtained through the job-working system. The impact of the growing industrialization is strong. Many agriculturists are becoming entrepreneurs. But the economic loss caused by the decline of the agricultural sector seems to be offset by the gains of industrial development. The industrialization process has been providing full employment and, apparently, has generated widespread well-being, although labour is unorganized, with no guarantees except for the daily wages. The caste system is undergoing secularization. Industrialization is undermining the environment. The hypothesis of the research is as follows. The industrial development pattern offered by the `Industrial District Model' is defined as a local process; that is, not directly generated or influenced by external factors but rather by local cultural/historical factors. The sociological objective of the research is the analysis of Karur district's industrial development through the empirical use of the theoretical field of reference provided by Eisenstadt. Its analytical categories allow us to overcome the traditional dichotomy (namely tradition/modernity) of the prevailing modernization theories. The overall objective of the research is the analysis of the social and cultural impact of the industrial development. In order to reach the overall objective and to test the hypothesis of the research, two specific objectives have been fixed: 1) the analysis of the development process of the Karur district through the Industrial District Model; 2) the analysis of the impact of the market liberalization on the local society.

The state elections held in Manipur in 2002 need to be understood against the background of the merger with India in 1949, and of the protests against the India-Naga cease fire agreement in June 2001. The elections in February 2002 demonstrated popular disillusionment with corruption, underdevelopment, self-seeking politicians, party-hopping and changing coalitions, which had characterized previous governments. The newly elected Secular Progressive Front alliance set out credible policies which promise to address these issues, as well as those of human rights abuses and geographical integrity.