Suchergebnisse

This paper deals with some complex and controversial issues that arose in connection with the 2010 Nobel Prize Peace award to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiao Bo. These issues involve different levels. On one level it is important not to confuse the Nobel committee's independence of outside interference from political and other organized agencies, with the question of whether the Nobel Prize committee's decisions can be ideological or politically unbiased in its decisions. Part of the strong Chinese reaction to the award is related to this issue. Another level deals with the Committee's widening of the criteria to be taken into account in the selection of candidates from the original criterion focused on direct contribution to reduction of armed conflicts, to the wider issues of indirect contributions like alleviation of poverty, ecological sustainability and most crucial the issue of human rights. The last issue is particularly critical since different states have different perspectives of what constitute human rights, and what rights should be given priority on different levels of the country's development. The main point of the article is to look at historical events and socio-cultural conditions that shape the Chine Government's (and many citizens') reaction to the 2010 award. This is placed in the context of the widening income differences emerging in the modern political economy of China and how these may affect the growth of civil society. The critical question is: will the reward contribute to promotion of civil society or will it lead to increased crackdown on dissident voices. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v5i0.6357 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 5, 2011: 81-100

This paper focus on the way Nepalese migrants in Myanmar use features of the natural environment in their homeland in metaphoric constructions of a cultural landscape expressing ethnic identity. It is through such "symbolic work" that perceptions of "ethnoscapes" are shaped and indoctrinated. Although the appeal is to symbols that can serve to foster the importance of Nepaliness as a basis for belonging to an imagined community, this does not mean that the caste/ethnicity interaction boundaries are broken down. It does mean however that sectors of activities where such boundaries are made relevant have been changed and so has the cultural content organized through such interaction boundaries. Ethnoscapes do not exist by themselves from a 'primordial' past; they require ongoing expression and confirmation. Features of a natural environment most migrants have never seen is used as sources for spinning compelling webs of significance extolling the values of belonging to a group that shares a common past in that environment. I shall here present material of an ethnoscape very different from what is experienced in Nepal, namely Nepalese multi-caste/ethnic communities among Kachins, Shans, Burmese, Indian and Chinese traders in the Kachin state of Northern Myanmar. Keywords: Nepali migrants; Myanmar; ethnic identity; cultural landscape DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v4i0.4515 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.4 2010 pp.99-110

CORRECTION: On Page 9, Paragraph 3, Line 7, the date of the Yüan dynasty (1279 – 1368) has been changed to Yüan dynasty (1271 – 1368). Like any complex civilization, China contains the confluence of range of traditions of knowledge that people draw on in their interpretations of and reactions to events in the 'world' they are exposed to. However traditions of knowledge serve multiple purposes and may lead to contradictory views on important issues. Chairman Mao when reflecting on two dominant cultural traditions – the Confucian school and the Legalist school - stated that in China there is always two opposite viewpoints. The traditions of knowledge expressing such divergent viewpoints had for more than 2000 years been nurtured and elaborated in the organizational context of the Chinese Empire. An important concern in these traditions is their emphasis on lessons to be drawn from past historical experiences. In the present situation the historical consciousness allows for alternative guidelines for interpreting events taking place on national as well as on global arenas. Keywords: modern China; Leninist capitalism; Confucian superstructure; guanxi; corruption; mianzi (face) DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v4i0.4510 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.4 2010 pp.1-20

Architectural features of houses are frequently loaded with meanings expressing fundamental values embedded in social relations. The symbolism of such features is a convenient starting point for exploring the organization of social life. Among the Na of Yunnan province house symbolism raises a range of questions relating to the character of gender relations and the universality of marriage. The qualitative cultural factors structuring gender interactions are analyzed by drawing on perspectives from role analysis. Finally the quantitative behavioral consequences of these interactions are documented. Key words: Na (Mosuo); China; matrilineality; gender relations; house symbolism. DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v3i0.2780 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.3 2009 19-40

The article deals with the main processes which have affected the evolution of socio-economic dualism on the Maldives. The discussion is focused on how the interplay between global factors (trade with cowrie shell, Maldive fish and coco palm products, shipping and tourism) and local conditions (e.g. property relations and political institutions) has shaped development of a peculiar form of polarization between the capital, Male, and the fishing communities on the other islands. (Chr. Michelsen Inst.)

The report deals with the problem of integrating Campuchean refugees (of Thai ethnicity) in the fishing communities of Trad Province, Thailand. A brief outline is given of technology, organization and groups in coastal fisheries as well as the problems of over-fishing. Special attention is given to discussion of the opportunities for rehabilitating the refugees in fishfarming in an approach which also has Thai low-income fishermen as a target group. (DERAP, Chr. Michelsen Inst.)

This paper deals with the political context of agricultural development in Uganda. An outline is given of processes which produced two specific problems of political integration in the country, namely the position of Nubis in the armed forces and the privileges of the Baganda in the political system