ashish saxena | University of Allahabad (original) (raw)
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Address: Head, Department of Sociology, University of Allahabad
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Papers by ashish saxena
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN INDO-PAKISTANI CONTEXT
In the postmodern world, the so-called ‘pre-established’ identities have become questionable in t... more In the postmodern world, the so-called ‘pre-established’ identities have become questionable in the senses of belonging to well-defined communities with stable self-perception and also with recognized codes of behavior. The renewed interest in identity and the construction of knowledge from the 1990s onwards has provoked a shift from considering communities as ‘given’ to investigating the power relations and discourses by which they are constantly defined and redefined. Substantiating the domain of religion as one where ‘magic bullet’ explanations are rife, the political connotation of ‘identity’ vis-à-vis religion also links contemporary religion to identity. In India, the varieties of social collectivities such as castes, religion, clan, communities etc have tended to be shaped in the name of ethnic and social identities. Thus it is high time to study the status of religio-cultural practices in the modern world and to identify their relevance in contemporary society. This paper no...
Historically, land issues and caste system is intertwined in the traditional rural India. The gro... more Historically, land issues and caste system is intertwined in the traditional rural India. The growth and assertiveness of caste and community politics in Uttar Pradesh was the consequence of failure to promote economic development adequately and equitably and in the weakness of the centralized structures of governance and policy processes. In Azamgarh district too, the nature of Agrarian relation is unequal between upper and lower castes since past. After independence, the process of democratic decentralization and various state initiatives has improved the condition of marginal section of society and significant changes have taken places in land and caste relation in the Azamgarh district. This article discusses impact of land reforms and other state initiatives on the lower caste (SCs) of Azamgarh district. The findings reflect the changing status of lower caste and the changing agrarian relations from various state initiatives.
Reviews: Theory -New, old and grounded 233 structures. It may be misleading to consider either of... more Reviews: Theory -New, old and grounded 233 structures. It may be misleading to consider either of these senses as causes, but Reed is correct that there is a need to reach a better understanding of the status of the knowledge generated through interpretation and the epistemological innovation that is signalled by the notion of forming causes is definitely worth developing. Second, Reed's position leads him to propose that action and motivation are themselves formed by meaning and to argue then against the claim that social explanation focuses on agency and motivation. This claim is in many respects correct; however, in this instance I found Reed's conclusions less compelling, particularly because they derive from a slightly limited conception of the problem of social action. For instance, social action, as Reed is aware, is related not just to meaning, but also to power and the historical contexts of interaction. The outcomes of action are influenced and even conditioned by meaning, yet it is necessary to take into account the contingencies of action processes, since action involves the possibility of realizing different alternatives. It is this specificity that explanatory understanding needs to take into account. Social meaning enfolds agency and, for that matter, power. However, I would argue that it is only generative through its combination with action.
Books by ashish saxena
The present compilation modestly attempts to broaden the horizon of sanitation beyond physical an... more The present compilation modestly attempts to broaden the horizon of sanitation beyond physical and environmental cleanliness and hygiene. The social science academia needs to encompass sanitation discourse on diverse juxtaposed issues such as justice, empowerment, subaltern, multiculturalism and social inclusion. This book is a critique and systematic documentation of the experiences and discourses of the 'sociology of sanitation' across global world in general and South Asia in particular.
Gyan publisher, New Delhi
The author in this work has modestly endeavored to understand the issues related with the contemp... more The author in this work has modestly endeavored to understand the issues related with the contemporary state of affairs of the scheduled castes in India and with specific reference to Jammu and Kashmir State. The work begins with the general understanding about scheduled castes in India and its mobility pattern. It also highlights the identity politics vis-à-vis 'Dalits' in India. The strength of the work lies in sociologically exploring the untapped area of research i.e. the scheduled castes of Jammu and Kashmir. Using a blend of historical evidences and field work, effort has been made to identify and evaluate the role of external and internal forces in the shifting state of affairs of scheduled castes of the state. On the issue of lack of sharp assertive 'Dalit' politics in the State, it is highlighted that the historical state of affairs like Article 370, communal divide of the state, strong State interventions as well as the geo-strategic position of the state has diluted the sharp caste contradiction in the state and also the scheduled castes too are satisfied with the existing state of affairs, except few grievances. . He has been engaged in research and teaching for the last nine years. He has widely attended national and international seminars/conference and also contributed papers in national and international journals and a number of edited books on issues related to Community studies, rural studies, Subaltern studies and Democratic decentralization.
Visiting fellow by ashish saxena
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN INDO-PAKISTANI CONTEXT
In the postmodern world, the so-called ‘pre-established’ identities have become questionable in t... more In the postmodern world, the so-called ‘pre-established’ identities have become questionable in the senses of belonging to well-defined communities with stable self-perception and also with recognized codes of behavior. The renewed interest in identity and the construction of knowledge from the 1990s onwards has provoked a shift from considering communities as ‘given’ to investigating the power relations and discourses by which they are constantly defined and redefined. Substantiating the domain of religion as one where ‘magic bullet’ explanations are rife, the political connotation of ‘identity’ vis-à-vis religion also links contemporary religion to identity. In India, the varieties of social collectivities such as castes, religion, clan, communities etc have tended to be shaped in the name of ethnic and social identities. Thus it is high time to study the status of religio-cultural practices in the modern world and to identify their relevance in contemporary society. This paper no...
Historically, land issues and caste system is intertwined in the traditional rural India. The gro... more Historically, land issues and caste system is intertwined in the traditional rural India. The growth and assertiveness of caste and community politics in Uttar Pradesh was the consequence of failure to promote economic development adequately and equitably and in the weakness of the centralized structures of governance and policy processes. In Azamgarh district too, the nature of Agrarian relation is unequal between upper and lower castes since past. After independence, the process of democratic decentralization and various state initiatives has improved the condition of marginal section of society and significant changes have taken places in land and caste relation in the Azamgarh district. This article discusses impact of land reforms and other state initiatives on the lower caste (SCs) of Azamgarh district. The findings reflect the changing status of lower caste and the changing agrarian relations from various state initiatives.
Reviews: Theory -New, old and grounded 233 structures. It may be misleading to consider either of... more Reviews: Theory -New, old and grounded 233 structures. It may be misleading to consider either of these senses as causes, but Reed is correct that there is a need to reach a better understanding of the status of the knowledge generated through interpretation and the epistemological innovation that is signalled by the notion of forming causes is definitely worth developing. Second, Reed's position leads him to propose that action and motivation are themselves formed by meaning and to argue then against the claim that social explanation focuses on agency and motivation. This claim is in many respects correct; however, in this instance I found Reed's conclusions less compelling, particularly because they derive from a slightly limited conception of the problem of social action. For instance, social action, as Reed is aware, is related not just to meaning, but also to power and the historical contexts of interaction. The outcomes of action are influenced and even conditioned by meaning, yet it is necessary to take into account the contingencies of action processes, since action involves the possibility of realizing different alternatives. It is this specificity that explanatory understanding needs to take into account. Social meaning enfolds agency and, for that matter, power. However, I would argue that it is only generative through its combination with action.
The present compilation modestly attempts to broaden the horizon of sanitation beyond physical an... more The present compilation modestly attempts to broaden the horizon of sanitation beyond physical and environmental cleanliness and hygiene. The social science academia needs to encompass sanitation discourse on diverse juxtaposed issues such as justice, empowerment, subaltern, multiculturalism and social inclusion. This book is a critique and systematic documentation of the experiences and discourses of the 'sociology of sanitation' across global world in general and South Asia in particular.
Gyan publisher, New Delhi
The author in this work has modestly endeavored to understand the issues related with the contemp... more The author in this work has modestly endeavored to understand the issues related with the contemporary state of affairs of the scheduled castes in India and with specific reference to Jammu and Kashmir State. The work begins with the general understanding about scheduled castes in India and its mobility pattern. It also highlights the identity politics vis-à-vis 'Dalits' in India. The strength of the work lies in sociologically exploring the untapped area of research i.e. the scheduled castes of Jammu and Kashmir. Using a blend of historical evidences and field work, effort has been made to identify and evaluate the role of external and internal forces in the shifting state of affairs of scheduled castes of the state. On the issue of lack of sharp assertive 'Dalit' politics in the State, it is highlighted that the historical state of affairs like Article 370, communal divide of the state, strong State interventions as well as the geo-strategic position of the state has diluted the sharp caste contradiction in the state and also the scheduled castes too are satisfied with the existing state of affairs, except few grievances. . He has been engaged in research and teaching for the last nine years. He has widely attended national and international seminars/conference and also contributed papers in national and international journals and a number of edited books on issues related to Community studies, rural studies, Subaltern studies and Democratic decentralization.