Sharing and exchanging: understanding common grounds in northeast India

ABSTRACT

Northeast India, a ‘zipper region’ that gives impetus to Southeast Asian and Himalasian studies, is marked by complexities and ambiguities. The paper examines the multiple identity construction in contemporary Assam, the central state of this region and seeks to recover the other experiences that make ethnic life-world possible while challenging the ethnocentric discourses—in academia, politics, public and social movements. Acknowledging the presence of common or possibly universal processes behind the production of such discourses, it aims to interrogate the factors that cut across socio-cultural, political-economical or ecological dimensions. It further examines the multiple discourses and narratives that makes that social possible in the region. In doing so, it locates the strategic positioning of such discourses and how they deal with Indian nation-state and beyond. This paper in essence is interested in the question of possibility of various discourses—as a question of post-history.     

Analysing critical success factors to implement sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry: a case study

The aim of this article is to analyse the critical success factors (CSFs) behind the successful implementation of sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry. Supply chain sustainability is a critical and timely topic for the developing country like India that captures increasing concerns over sustainability, whether driven by current legislation, public interest or competitive opportunity. Identification of CSFs responsible for sustainable supply chain practices and evaluating their contextual relationships has the potential to affect future government policy, current production operations and identify new business models. In response to this, this paper intends to identify CSFs based on organisational theory and model them to implement sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry. Twenty-five CSFs to implement sustainable supply chain practices based on organisational theory are recognised by means of the literature review and in discussions with experts in one case study organisation. A solution methodology based on the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique is used to propose a structural model, which not only helps in understanding the contextual relationship among these CSFs, but also in determining their interdependence to implement sustainable supply chain practices. Further, the importance of CSFs has been determined based on their driving and dependence power using MICMAC analysis. Our overarching thesis is that the insights gained are useful for Indian automobile industry and would help practitioners, regulators and academicians to focus their efforts towards implementation of sustainable supply chain practices.     

Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016: continuities and contestations with special reference to politics in Assam,India

ABSTRACT

This article is an attempt to unpack how the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 that proposed citizenship on the basis of religious affiliation trace its past from narrative rooted in partition and idea of religious identity in determination of citizenship status in India. The act proposes, persons belonging to minority community namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsi and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have either entered into India without valid travel documents or the validity of their documents have expired are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship by naturalisation in 7 years instead of existing 12 years. Building on existing scholarship, field experience and media reports this article argues proposed citizenship amendment bill that favours citizenship status for persecuted minorities defined primarily as Hindus leaving Muslims is not an attempt to redefine citizenship but reinforce logic that favours narrative of India for Hindus.     

《坛经》的人间佛教思想及其理论特色

创立于印度的佛教传入中土后,在同中国固有的传统思想文化的相互冲突与相互交融中,逐渐发展成为中国的民族宗教。中国佛教有许多不同于印度佛教的特点,入世化、人生化成为其最重要的特色之一,这在禅宗中表现得最为充分和典型。禅宗的根本经典《坛经》的人间佛教思想既继承了佛陀创教的本怀,又结合中国传统固有的思想文化,在满足中土社会大众需要的过程中,发扬光大了入世救度众生的大乘佛教精神,其所提倡的佛法在世间,不离世间觉是印度佛教的出世精神在中国社会文化中的特殊体现。《坛经》的心性本体论同时也是人性论,其透过心性论所表达的对无相、无念、无住的人的清净本性亦即人生实践主体的肯定,为人生展现了全新的生命意义。《坛经》的人间佛教思想奠基了中国禅宗人间佛教的基本特色,也为近现代以来的人间佛教运动提供了重要的理论资源和思想基础。     

冷战结束前印度和中亚关系的历史变迁

印度一直把中亚看作是自己＂延伸的邻国＂,两个地区从远古到现代在政治、经济和文化等方面都存在着诸多联系。文章试图从古代、中世纪、近代及冷战期间四个阶段论述两个地区间的交往和联系,以期为我们在新形势下解读崛起的印度同中亚地区的关系提供宝贵的历史经验和借鉴。     

Is Asia adopting flexicurity?

In the face of global competition, many countries are adopting a flexicurity approach to labour regulation, providing employers with greater flexibility to hire and retrench workers while helping workers transition to new jobs. This review of six Asian countries finds that China and the Republic of Korea have enacted such reforms; Singapore and Malaysia provide some ingredients of flexicurity, though no unemployment insurance; India and Sri Lanka have introduced few reforms and continue to rely on an older model of employer-based security. To support informal workers, the Governments of China, India and Sri Lanka use public works, self-employment programmes and skills training.     

Doing disability research in a Southern context: challenges and possibilities

Research on disability issues in countries of the South is primarily dominated by a focus on generating large scale quantitative data sets. This paper discusses the many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas faced in designing and undertaking a qualitative research study in one district in India. The Disability, Education and Poverty Project (DEPP) aims at exploring the role of education in the lives of young people with disabilities living in poverty. A central focus of the research is to engage with the young people with disabilities themselves and to understand how they construed their lives and experiences. This paper discusses three issues which are of central concern to the project: identification of the sample group, appropriateness of the research methods and, finally, an examination of the assumptions underpinning the research process.     

中印在跨界河流上的利益诉求与相互依赖——以雅鲁藏布江-布拉马普特拉河为例

本文对中印跨界河流问题的研究现状进行了评述,梳理了中印两国在跨界河流上的利益诉求,认为两国在跨界河流问题上的利益诉求既存在着相似之处,也存在着重大的差别。利益诉求的差异导致了中印在跨界河流问题上虽然存在着相互依赖,但这种相互依赖是不对称的相互依赖,双方的敏感性是不同的,这应该成为中国应对中印跨界河流问题的出发点。中国应将跨界河流与边界问题进行捆绑谈判、将水文信息共享与水资源开发利用进行捆绑谈判等三项措施来应对中印跨界河流问题。     

Sexual Orientation and Quality of Life Among University Students from Cuba,Norway, India,and South Africa

This article explores quality-of-life aspects among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight male and female students in Havana (Cuba), Troms? (Norway), Hisar (India), and Cape Town (South Africa). In the period 2004–2005, a questionnaire survey on sexuality, happiness, and life satisfaction was undertaken among 339 students from the University of Havana, 144 students from the University of Troms?, 200 students from Guru Jambheswar University, and 189 students from the University of the Western Cape. The majority of the participants were straight and, in Hisar and Cape Town, few of those who regarded themselves as gay/lesbian/bisexual had engaged in sex with a person of the same gender. In all cities, straight men and women scored higher than gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons on the quality-of-life measures. Quality of life among gay/bisexual men and lesbian/bisexual women was higher in cultures with accepting attitudes toward homosexuality than in cultures with restrictive attitudes.