Tag Archives: India

Ethnicity, Folk and Pop Culture

The Caste System in India: Still Dividing the Population 65 Years Later

Leave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

Since before recorded history Indian society was dominated by the caste system, dividing the population into different social classes. Once one was born into a caste there was no escape, social mobility was impossible, unless it was to be forced into a lower caste for some violation of traditional protocol. People from different castes were not even allowed to interact with one another for fear of reprisals from their peer groups or suffering the loss of social status.

At the very bottom of this social divide were those known as the “untouchables.” These were the most destitute of the population and were often limited to degrading jobs as public restroom cleaners because they weren’t allowed other opportunities. Their status was so low that it was a crime for them to even make eye contact with anybody in the upper castes.

Thankfully, this discriminatory system was outlawed in India in 1950. While it has been a step in the right direction caste politics have not been totally done away with. In rural areas the presence of the caste system is still quite strong where government supervision is the most relaxed.  Over the last few decades Indian law has established a practice of setting aside a percentage of government jobs and university opportunities for people from the lowest castes. The thought process is that by giving them these opportunities it begins to make up for past discrimination. It is similar to the affirmative action laws that were enacted in the United States during the Civil Rights movement.

Just as it has in the US these opportunities for the lower classes have created controversy. Many in the higher classes are protesting that despite higher test scores they are not getting enough access to the best jobs or admission to the top universities. Recently, this struggle has even presented itself through outright protests that have left 8 dead and countless more injured. While violence will not create a solution it has at least made people around the world realize, “Oh yeah, the caste system. That’s still a thing?”

The main point to be taken away from this lingering class struggle is that outlawing institutional discrimination isn’t enough, generations must pass to fully eradicate this negative legacy.

Population

Sterilization Policy Turns Deadly in India

Leave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

Eleven women in the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have died after undergoing sterilization procedures over the weekend. Dozens more have been hospitalized with several of these women in critical condition. These women were operated on by a mobile surgical team that treated 83 patients in a five hour span on Saturday.

India’s sterilization policy has been criticized since it was introduced in the 1970s. In an attempt to slow down births in the world’s second most populated country the government instituted a payment system where people that voluntarily get sterilized would receive a cash bonus.

One of the strongest arguments against this policy is that it preys upon the poorest of the Indian population. It serves as a type of class warfare where those desperate to get their hands on a few dollars subject themselves to the procedure. Knowing that their patients are desperate allows for the quality of facilities to be shoddy at best. These traveling surgical teams often lack the sanitary conditions needed to safely treat their patients. If infection develops the proper facilities needed to treat these women often do not exist.

Human rights groups have tried to pressure the Indian government to change the nearly 40 year old policy. If the recent tragedy does not make the Indian government change its payments for sterilization program one can hope that it will force investment in better facilities for women that agree to the procedures. These women deserved better than to have died for a $23 “bonus.”

Agriculture, Political Geography

Flooding Along the India-Pakistan Border: A Human, Agricultural, and Political Disaster

Leave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

Recently there was massive flooding along the border of India and Pakistan, especially hard hit was the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The death toll is near 300 and it is estimated that in some villages as many as 95% of homes have been destroyed. It is a humanitarian crisis of the highest level as these people have limited options for shelter and are running low on food. The fact that heavy rains hit the region is not a surprise as this is an annual event typically lasting from June-September. As students of human geography it is critical to analyze the relationship between the people in this part of the world and the annual rains as well as how the hostile relationship between India and Pakistan has made the situation that much worse.

Agriculture

While in other parts of the world such heavy rains would be seen solely as a threat, in South Asia the downpours are welcomed as a critical part of their existence. Agriculture in much of South Asia depends on the annual monsoons to provide enough water to irrigate crops throughout the year. There are years where the rains fail to provide enough water, and the region, already struggling with extreme poverty, must deal with the crisis of drought and becomes highly vulnerable to famine. As is often the case in the poor world, what they count on to sustain them, may also bring about their demise.

Territorial Dispute

Disaster relief would normally override most political issues, but not when India and Pakistan are involved. Kashmir has long been a disputed territory as a result of the Partition of India in 1947. When India was granted it’s independence by the British, one of the final acts of the European colonizers was to create Pakistan as a Muslim state in an attempt to separate them from the Hindu population. When the British created the new border they kept Kashmir in India despite being predominantly Muslim. This is one of the most militarized borders on the planet and moving in troops to provide aid to victims could be seen as a hostile act. Not even in this extreme crisis can these two governments coordinate in order to help their people.

Development

Human Geography: Economic Development Alternative to the World Bank?

Leave a comment

Embed from Getty Images

Last week political leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America gathered in Brazil for an important global event that was not the World Cup. It was a meeting between the heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, collectively referred to as the BRICS. These countries were not thrown together randomly for the sake of creating an acronym that sounds intimidating, they have been placed in a group because they are considered the emerging markets, this means that they are transitioning from being part of the poor world to increasing their level of economic development. The BRICS have seen their role in the global economy grow for a variety of reasons: Brazil and South Africa as regional leaders, Russia as a resource center for Europe, India for its growing role in communications and as the future home of the largest population on Earth, and lastly China as the manufacturing center of the world.

The BRICS Summit achieved a major agreement between the five countries, the establishment of the New Development Bank that will be headquartered in Shanghai. The main objective of the bank will be to provide an alternative to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for countries looking to borrow money and invest in development and infrastructure. The BRICS see the new bank as vital to economic growth for the poor world as it would shift power away from the US and Western Europe who have dominated the global flow of money for centuries.

One of the key elements required for success on the AP® Human Geography Exam is being able to identify the differences that exist between the less developed world and the rich world. One of the common themes for this course is that as living standards improve in parts of the poor world and globalization emphasizes their role in the world economy, the power and influence of the less developed regions increase. As a human geography student it is critical to analyze the economic and political factors that make the BRICS desire to reach equal footing as the traditional powers. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa see the establishment of the New Development Bank as an immediate and critical step towards leveling the playing field with the rich world.