Cultural Diversity And Social Discontent

This text explores how unresolved religious tensions, intensifying social conflicts, political control and exploitation in today's India challenge the established theory and practice of anthropology.

There are more similarities between the 7 billion people worldwide than there are differences, and global harmony, instead of widespread conflict, is possible. The "global mosaic" of our lives: lifestyle, culture, nationality, race, religion, gender, gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic level, and belief system are all tiles that can fit together to form a colorful and harmonious cultural mosaic. In Global Discontent: The Mosaic of Cultural Diversity, Dr. Pedram provides us with a user-friendly philosophical, historical, and sociological guide to many of the issues facing the world today, and to possible resolutions toward an ideal world. This work is an expression of Dr. Pedram's dream: that in the twenty-first century humanity in every corner of the globe will put conflict, war, hostility, and global discord behind them and, in their place, work to create a cooperative and peaceful global community, with global governance for the common good.

Never before has the legitimacy of a dominant American culture been so hotly contested as over the past two decades. Familiar terms such as culture wars, multiculturalism, moral majority, and family values all suggest a society fragmented by the issue of cultural diversity. So does any social solidarity exist among Americans? In Diversity and Its Discontents, a group of leading sociologists, political theorists, and social historians seek to answer this question empirically by exploring ideological differences, theoretical disputes, social processes, and institutional change. Together they present a broad yet penetrating look at American life in which cultural conflict has always played a part. Many of the findings reveal that this conflict is no more or less rampant now than in the past, and that the terms of social solidarity in the United States have changed as the society itself has changed. The volume begins with reflections on the sources of the current "culture wars" and goes on to show a number of parallel situations throughout American history--some more profound than today's conflicts. The contributors identify political vicissitudes and social changes in the late twentieth century that have formed the backdrop to the "wars," including changes in immigration, marriage, family structure, urban and residential life, and expression of sexuality. Points of agreement are revealed between the left and the right in their diagnoses of American culture and society, but the essays also show how the claims of both sides have been overdrawn and polarized. The volume concludes that above all, the antagonists of the culture wars have failed to appreciate the powerful cohesive forces in Americans' outlooks and institutions, forces that have, in fact, institutionalized many of the "radical" changes proposed in the 1960s. Diversity and Its Discontents brings sound empirical evidence, theoretical sophistication, and tempered judgment to a cultural episode in American history that has for too long been clouded by ideological rhetoric. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Seyla Benhabib, Jean L. Cohen, Reynolds Farley, Claude S. Fischer, Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., John Higham, David A. Hollinger, Steven Seidman, Marta Tienda, David Tyack, R. Stephen Warner, Robert Wuthnow, and Viviana A. Zelizer.

Explores the conceptual and ethnographic issues that tumultuous India poses to modern anthropology and sociology. Khare (anthropology, U. of Virginia) explicates the cultural sensibilities, roles, presence, and limitations of the ordinary Indian and reveals the adaptive strategies of the many "others" that constitute India from within. He also surveys approaches employed by renowned anthropologists such as M.N. Srinivas, Louis Dumont, and McKim Marriot. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Our contemporary celebration of difference, respect for pluralism, and avowal of identity politics have come to be regarded as the hallmarks of a progressive, modern democracy. Yet despite embracing many of its values, we have at the same time become wary of multiculturalism in recent years. In the wake of September 11, 2001 and the many terrorist attacks that have occurred since then, there has been much debate about the degree of diversity that Western nations can tolerate. In Multiculturalism and its Discontents, Kenan Malik looks closely at the role of multiculturalism within terrorism and societal discontent. He examines whether it is possible--or desirable--to try to build a cohesive society bound by common values and he delves into the increasing anxiety about the presence of the Other within our borders. Multiculturalism and its Discontents not only explores the relationship between multiculturalism and terrorism, but it analyzes the history of the idea of multiculturalism alongside its political roots and social consequences.

By the New York Times bestselling author: a provocative account of the attack on the humanities, the rise of intolerance, and the erosion of serious learning America is in crisis, from the university to the workplace. Toxic ideas first spread by higher education have undermined humanistic values, fueled intolerance, and widened divisions in our larger culture. Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton? Oppressive. American history? Tyranny. Professors correcting grammar and spelling, or employers hiring by merit? Racist and sexist. Students emerge into the working world believing that human beings are defined by their skin color, gender, and sexual preference, and that oppression based on these characteristics is the American experience. Speech that challenges these campus orthodoxies is silenced with brute force. The Diversity Delusion argues that the root of this problem is the belief in America’s endemic racism and sexism, a belief that has engendered a metastasizing diversity bureaucracy in society and academia. Diversity commissars denounce meritocratic standards as discriminatory, enforce hiring quotas, and teach students and adults alike to think of themselves as perpetual victims. From #MeToo mania that blurs flirtations with criminal acts, to implicit bias and diversity compliance training that sees racism in every interaction, Heather Mac Donald argues that we are creating a nation of narrowed minds, primed for grievance, and that we are putting our competitive edge at risk. But there is hope in the works of authors, composers, and artists who have long inspired the best in us. Compiling the author’s decades of research and writing on the subject, The Diversity Delusion calls for a return to the classical liberal pursuits of open-minded inquiry and expression, by which everyone can discover a common humanity.

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This book tries to theorize the evolution of identity politics leading to separatist mentalities in India. Constructed ideas of identity have been posing a threat to humanity in the name of separatism. It is now one of the biggest threats to the Indian nation-building process. The Indian government has invested crores of rupees to secure the unity of India. In spite of that, many parts of India are now demanding separate statehood or sovereign nation-state. Demands vary according to the motif, mode and magnitude. But behind every demand for full or partial political autonomy, their remains some unequal treatment which occurs in the eco-socio-political sphere and separatist movements often take place. This Study revolves around two movements led by Rajbanshis and Gorkhas in the Northern part of West Bengal. In the tiny and strategically important North Bengal region, numerous movements are ongoing for getting separate statehood, some notables of which are 'Gorkhaland', 'Kamtapur', and 'Greater Cooch Bihar' movements. Why and how this area is facing this kind of activism is the main thrust of this study. With statistical data and historical references, the authenticity of the claim of 'marginalization' tried to validate. The question of Bengali hegemony and backwardness of North Bengal is also discussed elaborately. This book thus can be an ideal reference copy for the social scientists as well as administrative officials working in/on North Bengal/Northeast India/ ethno-regional separatist movements. This book covers the hundred-year history of movements of two important ethnic groups (Rajbanshis and Gorkhas) of India and touched three most crucial issues–viz. identity, marginality and separatism.