{"product_id":"ways-of-being-indian-manoj-kumar-jena-9789354479250","title":"Ways of Being Indian: Essays on Religion, Gender and Culture","description":"\u003cp\u003eIdentity formation in non-western societies involves paradox, as doctrines\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eare frequently overridden by actual practices. The essays in this volume\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ediscuss different ways in which identities are constructed in unique 'Indian'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003econtexts.The emergence of deras in Punjab reflects how continuing caste\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003einequality and divergence over spiritual leadership has affected the egalitarian\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003espirit of Sikhism, contradicting a basic feature of the faith-the tradition\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof common worship. In the matrilineal Khasi community, men-looking to\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003egain equal inheritance rights-use arguments of ethnic purity and indigenous\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003erights to downsize women's autonomy and undermine the commanding\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esocio-economic position that their own tradition gives them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor male sex-workers, their profession, paradoxically, becomes a means\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof sexual autonomy in the otherwise heteronormative world that they\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003einhabit. A different kind of paradox marks the social lives of many Indian\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewomen: in Assam for instance, celebration of menstruation coexists with\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eprohibition on menstruating women's entry into temples and participation\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ein auspicious events.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorkplace violence exemplifies how private biases infiltrate public spaces, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ereinforcing traditional marginalities, undeterred by legal safeguards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimilarly, the plight of indentured plantation workers in Malaysia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edemonstrates the operation of traditional patriarchy inside a foreign and\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehighly sequestered workspace of plantations-within these spaces, women\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eexperience 'double marginalization'. And the government and middleclass\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eresponse to the COVID-19 pandemic across India demonstrated the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epersistence of traditional biases which perpetuate inequality and oppression\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ein the world's largest democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComprising these and other discussions on the everyday lived realities\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof individuals and communities in India and the Indian diaspora, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWays of being Indian is a remarkable, eye-opening collection. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Manoj Kumar Jena\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 9354479251\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789354479250\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Speaking Tiger Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/20\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.77lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.72d","brand":"Manoj Kumar Jena","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46640784703743,"sku":"9789354479250","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_00c9bba2-bb74-4d3d-a0c5-5762fbc0383d.jpg?v=1740670514","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ways-of-being-indian-manoj-kumar-jena-9789354479250","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}