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Indigenous Festivals and Climate Sustainability in India: A Case Study of Cultural Practices and Performances

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1.6K views

Ayan Mondal1*   & Maya Shanker Pandey2
1Research Scholar, Department of English, Banaras Hindu University. *Corresponding author.
2Senior Professor, Department of English, Banaras Hindu University.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.03
[Article History: Received: 30 December 2023. Revised: 03 February 2024. Accepted: 04 February 2024. Published: 05 February 2024]
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Abstract

With the inadequacy of the Western frameworks in addressing climate change, there is a need to integrate indigenous knowledge systems into the global framework to harness climate sustainability. The historical marginalization of the indigenous people in India in the colonial era has continued through the present postcolonial era, leading to environmental exploitation and social dislocation of the Adivasis. This has resulted in a severance of the transmission of sustainable practices embedded in the tribal cultures into the global framework. Advocating for the integration of indigenous ecological wisdom into global strategies, this paper will highlight the significance of tribal festivals like ‘Sarhul,’ ‘Baha,’ and ‘Kunde Habba’ in reinforcing climate resilience. Indian tribal festivals have traditionally popularised sustainable practices and rituals to stay in harmony with nature, and the sacred sites located in the indigenous communities function as sites for rituals and festivals fostering ecological sustainability. This paper explores how tribal art forms like ‘Warli’ and ‘Gond’ art imbue communities with ecological consciousness and resilience, and through storytelling and artistic expressions, it raises awareness about climate issues and empowers communities to safeguard ecosystems vital for all life forms. This paper asserts that traditional performance cultures, manifested through rituals, dances, and art, serve as catalysts for sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, and community resilience, and advocates for a recentring of the indigenous performances to resist Anthropocentric and Capitalocentric practices.

Keywords: Anthropocene, climate crisis, ecological sustainability, indigenous knowledge, tribal performances

Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Life on Land

Citation: Mondal, A. & Pandey, M.S. (2024). Indigenous Festivals and Climate Sustainability in India: A Case Study of Cultural Practices and Performances. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.03 

Resisting Eco-colonialism Through Indigenous Epistemologies and Performances in Nigeria

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1.1K views

Stanley Timeyin Ohenhen1* & Princewill Chukwuma Abakporo²
¹,² Theatre Arts Programme, Bowen University, Iwo Osun State, Nigeria. *Correspondng author. 

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02
[Article History: Received: 01 December 2023. Revised: 01 February 2024. Accepted: 02 February 2024. Published: 03 February 2024]
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Abstract:

The lands and natural resources of indigenous communities in the Global South have been severely exploited thereby leading to a major decline in the ecosystem, following centuries of colonization.  The research intends to investigate and demonstrate the relevance of indigenous cultural epistemologies and traditional performances, in challenging and reversing the ecological degradation brought about by colonialism in Nigeria. Relying on the postcolonial, and environmental justice theoretical frameworks, an examination of the literature and case study centred on the indigenous populations in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria will be deployed. Through an exploration of the traditional performances of the Ogoni people, which are deeply rooted in their indigenous cultural epistemologies, encompassing their customary knowledge structures, rituals, and worldviews, this study aims to illuminate the deep ecological understanding that has supported this Nigerian, Niger Delta community for several generations. Additionally, it aims to acknowledge the vital role that indigenous peoples play in maintaining a variety of ecosystems as well as their deeply ingrained spiritual and cultural ties to the natural world. The study examines creative practices and effective eco-restorative projects led by the indigenous people of Ogoniland that defy the colonial-era models of resource extraction and industrial development. The research intends to contribute to the current global conversation on decolonization, environmental stewardship, and the importance of inclusive and diverse viewpoints in sustainable development. The research concludes that indigenous cultural epistemologies and traditional performances provide vital resources for engaging the ecological issues that Ogoniland and other locations in Nigeria for that matter, face by elevating the voices and knowledge of indigenous peoples.

Keywords: Indigenous cultural epistemologies, colonialism, ecological degradation, Global South, Ogoniland, Nigeria, environmental stewardship, decolonization, inclusive perspectives.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Life on Land

Citation: Ohenhen, S.T. & Abakporo, P. C. (2024). Resisting Eco-colonialism Through Indigenous Epistemologies and Performances in Nigeria. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02 

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Indigenous Ecologies in Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow

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Antara Saha
Assistant Professor in English, Dukhulal Nibaran Chandra College, Aurangabad, Murshidabad.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01
[Article History: Received: 31 December 2023. Revised: 18 January 2024. Accepted: 25 January 2024. Published: 31 January 2024]
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 Abstract

Designating the connection between literature and environment this paper highlights Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow from the standpoint of postcolonial ecocriticism where it highlights how the survival of the tribal is ecologically related and how much they are concerned about their own ecology. As a mother of a sustainable society, Mahasweta Devi shows her anxiety for the tribals. She binds their history and their closeness and bonding with nature in such a way that it may explore their involvement in constructing a sustainable environment as she believes that an author must have a social responsibility. Postcolonial ecocriticism not only just echoes history rather it has also brought changes in the physical environment they belong to. Here Mahasweta Devi focuses on how on one hand, the exploitation of the tribals at the hands of the landowners brings ecological degradation physically, socially, and psychologically and on the other hand she explores how that degradation is alleviated through the tribals’ sense of responsibility and their ecological wisdom and the empowerment they achieve through the culture of archery.

Keywords: Mahasweta Devi, ecocriticism, tribals, ecologies, sustainable environment, ecological degradation.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Citation: Saha, A. (2024). Indigenous Ecologies in Mahasweta Devi’s Chotti Munda and His Arrow. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01 

Unravelling the Linguistic Tapestry: A Discursive Study of Gender Portrayal in Select Indian Electronic Advertisement

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Shubham Pathak1* , Ipsita Mondal2 & Swasti Mishra3
1Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi. *Corresponding author.
2Independent researcher, 
3Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02g
[Article History: Received: 19 December 2023. Revised: 18 January 2024. Accepted: 24 January 2024. Published: 25 January 2024]
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Abstract

This discursive study explores the portrayal of empowering women in advertisements, shedding light on the evolving narrative within the realm of marketing and media. The analysis delves into the discursive strategies employed by advertisers to construct empowering representations of women, examining linguistic, visual, and cultural elements. Through a comprehensive review of diverse advertisements, this study investigates how these portrayals shape societal perceptions of women’s roles and identities. The research seeks to unravel the underlying discourses that either challenge or perpetuate traditional gender norms, assessing the impact of these representations on both individual and collective consciousness. By critically examining the discursive dimensions of women’s empowerment in advertising, this study provides insights into the socio-cultural implications and the potential role of advertisements in fostering positive societal change.

Keywords: Empowerment, advertisements, gender portrayal, discourse analysis.

Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality, Quality Education

Citation: Pathak, S., Mondal, I. & Mishra, S. (2024). Unravelling the Linguistic Tapestry: A Discursive Study of Gender Portrayal in Select Indian Electronic Advertisement. Rupkatha Journal 16:1. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.02g 

CFP-2024 for the General Areas

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The journal is now inviting articles in the General Areas.

Authors can submit their papers from January 15, 2024 to February 29, 2024. 

Before making any submission, we strongly suggest to consult the following: 

1. Submission Guidelines

2. Article Processing Charge

3. Terms and Conditions

4. Indexing Requirement

Authors are requested to submit only by going through the abovementioned pages in the following areas (suggestive, not exclusive): 

  • Interdisciplinary approaches to language, literature and arts
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in human culture, language, literature, and arts.
  • Health & medical humanities
  • Gender Studies
  • Fine arts, film & communication & media Studies
  • Performing arts, performance studies
  • History of arts
  • Historiography, memory, history of emotions
  • Music: ethnomusicology, systematic musicology
  • Archaeology: material culture, human behaviour, cultural resources management
  • Tourism and heritage
  • Cultural Studies: cultural anthropology, ethnography, area studies
  • Scientific philosophy: artificial intelligence, biology, economics, neuroscience, and psychology
  • Animal Studies: ethics, law and rights
  • Law: human rights, intellectual property rights, digital rights management
  • Library and information studies: knowledge production, information literacy, open access
  • Psychology: educational psychology, applied psychology
  • Ecological humanities
  • Transhumanities
  • The humanities debate: critical university studies and higher education

*Authors are requested not to submit in other sections. 

Make a new submission to the CFP-2024 for the General Areas section.

We accept submissions only through the portal. Do not submit via email. If you have any query, get in touch with Pragati Das at submission@rupkatha.com. 

Digital Literacy as a Meta-Cognitive Component of Younger Students’ Intellectual and Creative Potential in Foreign Language Lessons

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Aliya E. Balgabayeva1 , Tatiana O. Karataeva2 , Irina S. Karabulatova3 , Roza M. Aitzhanova4 , Aigul A. Zhumadullayeva5 & Dina M. Zharylgapova6
1Department of Preschool and psychological-pedagogical Preparation, Faculty of Pedagogy, Academician E.A. Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan, 
2PhD, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, Altynsarin Arkalyk Pedagogical Institute, Arkalyk, Kazakhstan,
3Dr of Philological Sciences, Professor, RUDN-university, Lomonosov MSU, Bauman MSTU, Moscow, Russia. 
4Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool and psychological-pedagogical Preparation, Faculty of Pedagogy, Academician E.A. Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan,
5Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool and Primary Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkistan, Kazakhstan,
6Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Mathematics, Institute of Natural Sciences, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan,

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n1.01g
[Article History: Received: 30 October 2023. Revised: 07 January 2024. Accepted: 08 January 2024. Published: 12 January 2024]
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Abstract. The article reflects on the results of the digital literacy study in the structure of the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of younger schoolchildren in foreign language lessons. The team of authors substantiates the relevance of approaches to understanding digital literacy as an element of meta-cognitive skills and its increasing role in the development of language education in modern conditions of electronic information society. The scientific and analytical baggage of scientific and pedagogical research of Kazakhstani and foreign authors made it possible to identify the features of universality and meta-subjectivity inherent in the psychological and pedagogical phenomenon of digital literacy. Hypothesis: self-mastery of a foreign language in the modern information and communication space acquires the features of meta-subjects under the influence of digital literacy of students. The revealed similarity of skills and knowledge of speech-thinking activity and digital literacy as metacognitive categories and aspects of meta-knowledge form the intellectual and creative potential of a student’s personality. The results of the study prove that digital literacy as an element of the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of students has an intensifying effect on the development of speech-thinking skills in younger schoolchildren. The results obtained are based on experimental data confirming that the integration of techniques, methods, and means for the development of digital literacy acts as an intensifier of speech-thinking processes, increasing the effectiveness of teaching a foreign language in primary school. Among the defiantly difficult is the task set by the author’s team: to create a universal psychological and pedagogical algorithm to improve the meta-cognitive component of the intellectual and creative potential of a younger student with the actualization of the methodology of digital literacy in the humanities of the language cycle (state languages, literature, foreign languages, social studies, history, etc.). The training sample consisted of data obtained in the course of ascertaining and modeling experiments from real texts written by schoolchildren. Each text was checked and marked up by two experts in accordance with the levels of psychological, pedagogical, and subject competencies, which made it possible to determine the dynamics of digital literacy of younger schoolchildren in the structure of metacognitive activity of students learning foreign languages, which makes it possible to verify it as the core of the intellectual and creative potential of the student. The authors believe that the digital literacy of a modern student is a “soft power” of a new type of linguodidactics since it allows reformatting the speech and behavioral value matrix of the younger generation under the influence of the translation of priority standards of behavior in a particular ethnic society. Digital literacy is an unconditional way to expand the possibilities of developing an individual system of metacognition, determining the significant potential of its integration with the content of the foreign language teaching program in elementary grades.

Keywords: digital literacy, meta-knowledge, meta-knowledge, intersubject, intellectual and creative potential, language education, “soft power”

Call for Papers: Language Engineering

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Editor
Dr Swayam Prabha Satpathy
Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Odisha, India.

Context

Against the backdrop of the growing interest in the use of artificial language, we invite articles in the field of Language Engineering to explore the scholarly implications of current and future advancements in Natural Language Processing. The issue aims to bridge the gap between theoretical and applied experiments in the fields of computer science and the demands of language adaptations with its concerns and insights for the future.

Since all kinds of communication use natural languages, language technology has become increasingly important in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital communication (DH). The automated study, interpretation, and production of human language, as well as its expansion towards language technology, can greatly benefit from research in the fields of digital humanities and natural language processing. Over four decades, many significant advances have been made due to the multidisciplinary strategy incorporating insights from linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, and machine learning. While widely recognized for its groundbreaking work in the fields of statistical parsing, syntax-based machine translation, and semantic role labeling, digital humanities has also recently led the way in developing methods for few-shot learning applied to NLP tasks, neural model interpretability, and graph neural networks for natural language processing. The development of responsible and socially-oriented NLP technology, together with its applications in media studies, computational social science, and digital humanities, constitutes another recognized field of study. To this end, DH has explored how statistical and neural models can retrieve information from text to help answer questions in the humanities:  literature and arts, history, and philosophy, and aid large-scale data-driven analysis of cultural artifacts.

The intervention of humanities in language engineering is crucial because of the creative and constructive role and the addition of the ‘human’ factor in revolutionizing the means of communication. Humanities demand equity, sustainability and language diversity be maintained while moving ahead with new technologies. So, the issue will also consider papers on Language Engineering in other languages. However, the medium of the language needs to be English with proper annotations and translation wherever required.

In this context, the following areas of submission—which are suggestive and not exclusive—will be considered:

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP): Intersection of AI and NLP, including topics such as deep learning, neural networks, and machine learning algorithms.
  • Theoretical Linguistics: Theoretical underpinnings of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Corpus Linguistics: Annotation, abstraction, analysis, and part-of-speech tagging of large corpora of text.
  • Machine Translation: Historical developments of machine translation, including rule-based, transfer-based, interlingual, dictionary-based, and neural machine translation, machine translation and signed languages, intellectual property rights, and other related topics.
  • Lexicography: Theoretical and practical aspects of lexicography, including the creation of dictionaries, thesauri, and other reference works.
  • Text Analysis: Sentiment analysis, record management, and other forms of text analysis.
  • Information Retrieval: Historical developments and future possibilities of information retrieval, including search engines, recommender systems, and other related topics.
  • System Integration and Language Engineering: Integration of language technology into various systems, including chatbots, virtual assistants, and other human-computer interfaces.

Word limit: 5000-7000 words

Submission Deadline: April 15, 2024.

Submission Link>>

The Self-made Victim in the Crosshairs of East-West Confrontation: Ravi’s Odyssey in O V Vijayan’s The Legends of Khasak

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726 views

Jerome Vadackel       
Guest Lecturer, St Berchmans College, Changanassery  & PhD Researcher, Christ University, Bengaluru.

Rupkatha Journal, Special Issue on Poetics of Self-construal in Postcolonial Literature, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.05
[Article History: Received: 08 November 2023. Revised: 29 December 2023. Accepted: 30 December 2023. Published: 31 December 2023]
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Abstract

A pathbreaking novel in Malayalam literature, Khasakkinte Ithihasam (Legend of Khasak), was written by O V Vijayan and published in 1969. It is a novel that weaves together the existential journey of the protagonist, Ravi, with the religion, characters and culture of the fictional village Khasak. The paper is written to place in relief Ravi’s inability to complete his education and analyse it in the background of the contrast Vijayan brings between Eastern and Western modes of thinking. The subsequent struggles he encounters in the single-teacher school in Khasak are read as being born of a more acute subliminal struggle. Drawing useful parallels for comparison from Jacques Derrida’s essay “The Gift of Death,” Ravi’s character, particularly his indifference towards Western education and death drive, is studied, which interestingly provides insights also into his problematic sexual life which lies at the centre of his journey to Khasak.

Keywords: Deconstruction, Politics of Education, Coloniality, Sexual Politics, Translation.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Gender Equality
Citation: Vadackel, J. (2023). The Self-made Victim in the Crosshairs of East-West Confrontation: Ravi’s Odyssey in O V Vijayan’s The Legends of Khasak. Rupkatha Journal 15:5. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.05 

Interrogating the Discourse of Racism and Identity Crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man

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480 views

Somy Manzoor1*  & Balkar Singh2 
1,2 Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. *Corresponding Author.

 Rupkatha Journal, Special Issue on Poetics of Self-construal in Postcolonial Literature, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.16
[Article History: Received: 15 November 2023. Revised: 29 December 2023. Accepted: 30 December 2023. Published: 31 December 2023]
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Abstract

The present study focuses on the concepts of the Discourse of Racism and the Identity crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Last White Man. The term ‘discourse’ is propounded by the French philosopher Michel Foucault in his various books. Discourse is an ideology which produces knowledge and meaning about an object. The knowledge is not the truth about the object. It is the constructed knowledge which is propagated by the dominant power. In the study, the novel The Last White Man, will be explored through the discourse of Racism which is a constructed and discursive knowledge that the dark people should be hated and treated as inferior ones. It is beneficial to a certain section of the people (whites) and others (blacks) who go through an identity crisis because of this discursive ideology. In the novel, the characters Anders and Oona go through an identity crisis because of the discourse of racism that blacks are inferior to whites, which is not the reality. It is just the colour which changes, their intelligibility remains the same. Over time the whole neighbourhood is changed. All the people in the beginning feel the identity crisis, but in the end, they accept this change as the notion of racism is all constructed by the dominant white people. It is an ideology (a discourse) which is beneficial to a few. The main idea threaded in the novel is that race should not be given a universal meaning nor be made into a recurrent topic in contemporary writing as biological essentialism is untenable.

Keywords: Discourse, Ideology, Power, Dominance, Racism, The Last White Man, Identity Crisis.  

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Citation: Manzoor, S. & Singh, B. (2023). Interrogating the Discourse of Racism and Identity Crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man. Rupkatha Journal 15:5. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.16 

Construction of Ideal Self in Salman Rushdie’s Victory City

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476 views

V. R. Amirthavarshini1 & R. Bhuvaneswari2*
1,2 School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vandalur – Kelambakkam Road, Chennai – 600127, Tamil Nadu, India. *Corresponding Author

 Rupkatha Journal, Special Issue on Poetics of Self-construal in Postcolonial Literature, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.15
[Article History: Received: 12 November 2023. Revised: 29 December 2023. Accepted: 30 December 2023. Published: 30 December 2023]
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Abstract

Indian literature often employs mystic characters to reflect sociopolitical themes. The central narrative of Salman Rushdie’s Victory City (2023) revolves around Pampa Kampana, a young female protagonist. Through mystical direction, she builds an empire and uses poetry to pass on her cultural legacy. The objective of this research is to demonstrate Pampa’s progression using the framework of self-construal theory. Nevertheless, her interaction with diverse personalities and surrounding settings during her 247-year lifespan demonstrates her interdependent construal. Her character arc changes significantly as she goes from being a young orphan who lost her family and experienced tragedy to being a resolute queen and mother of Bisnaga City. Her pursuit of the throne within the societal constraints of gender showcases her resolute nature as an individual. External variables cause her self-construal to become unstable. Her journey, from being a vulnerable orphan who experienced physical abuse to becoming a champion for gender equality in Bisnaga, demonstrates her remarkable resilience. The research highlights how Pampa Kampana eschews independence in favour of interdependence when navigating social dynamics, familial ties, and cultural norms of human civilization. It mirrors the struggles and journey faced by most women.

Keywords: Salman Rushdie, Historical fiction, Narratives, Identity, Power, Self-construal theory.

Sustainable Development Goals: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Gender Equality
Citation: Amirthavarshini, V. R. & Bhuvaneswari, R. (2023). Construction of Ideal Self in Salman Rushdie’s Victory City. Rupkatha Journal 15:5. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n5.15 

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