"The Mango Season"
In this short novel that I am reading, a young woman goes to America to pursue an education, but then she falls in love with an American, which she becomes engaged to. She must go back to India, and while she is there, she realizes that she has become very westernized and thinks India's traditions are foolish and that India is filthy, etc. I saw a large between what her mother thought life was like and how she now saw life. It seemed as though she was completely separating herself from her native country. It made me wonder why this was so, and if the women of the village that we see will be against Western culture or see it as extremely different.
Showing posts with label Annotated Sources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Annotated Sources. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Annotated Source #12 (February 20, 2012)
"Dealing with the Blue faced Monster: The Bad Mood" Madhavi Prasad-- Woman's era
In this Indian magazine, I read about the ways that women "should" deal with mood changes and how to better handle people that are in a bad mood. The article was pretty ordinary and normal, but there were a few things that were only Indian. For example, " you will be around a cranky husband, mother-in-law or perhaps neighbor...your mood will be affected by all of those who will be around you constantly". I could really feel the collectiveness of the culture, rather than the individualistic attitude.
In this Indian magazine, I read about the ways that women "should" deal with mood changes and how to better handle people that are in a bad mood. The article was pretty ordinary and normal, but there were a few things that were only Indian. For example, " you will be around a cranky husband, mother-in-law or perhaps neighbor...your mood will be affected by all of those who will be around you constantly". I could really feel the collectiveness of the culture, rather than the individualistic attitude.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Annotated Source #11 (Friday, February 17, 2012)
"Notes on Love in a Tamil Family" by: Margaret Trawick
I have loved everything that I have read in this book so far. The author talks about how Tamil women are way more expressive and less submissive than the North Indian women. I was really surprised to read this, but as I did, I thought of Ashley and how she talked about Jeeva's bravery in leading her women's group in Chavadi. I was really intrigued to read about how in our Western culture, we tend to tag names to India and to her people. "caste-dominated", "repressed", "dominated", "past-oriented", among other things. I think that I had that mindset about India as well before I really got immersed in it. I thought that it was great that the author, who spent a lot of time in Tamil Nadu, living among that Tamil people, said that those are just words, and words should not define a culture. I think it is important to keep that in mind, as we are approaching that time to live in India for the entire summer.
I have loved everything that I have read in this book so far. The author talks about how Tamil women are way more expressive and less submissive than the North Indian women. I was really surprised to read this, but as I did, I thought of Ashley and how she talked about Jeeva's bravery in leading her women's group in Chavadi. I was really intrigued to read about how in our Western culture, we tend to tag names to India and to her people. "caste-dominated", "repressed", "dominated", "past-oriented", among other things. I think that I had that mindset about India as well before I really got immersed in it. I thought that it was great that the author, who spent a lot of time in Tamil Nadu, living among that Tamil people, said that those are just words, and words should not define a culture. I think it is important to keep that in mind, as we are approaching that time to live in India for the entire summer.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Annotated Source #9 (Monday February 13, 2012)
"Tamil Beliefs" WebIndia
This article talks about the many different superstitions and beliefs that Tamils have developed in their long and rich culture. I thought that it was interesting to note all of the different ones about children and when they should and should not be born. I thought it was so interesting that girls are better off when they are born as the odd numbers. I think that it is very important to know of these superstitions because when trying to understand culture and the motives behind it, this knowledge will explain the many implications that lie behind the cultures.
This article talks about the many different superstitions and beliefs that Tamils have developed in their long and rich culture. I thought that it was interesting to note all of the different ones about children and when they should and should not be born. I thought it was so interesting that girls are better off when they are born as the odd numbers. I think that it is very important to know of these superstitions because when trying to understand culture and the motives behind it, this knowledge will explain the many implications that lie behind the cultures.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Annotated Source # 7 (Wednesday February 8th, 2012)
"The Problems and Status of Hindu Women" by: Jarayam V
This article illustrated the importance of being careful when reading the status of Hindu women in India. It mentioned that many base their opinions on Hindu women solely on the information they find on the internet, and what the media has to say about Hindu women. What I liked the most was that it explained that women everywhere were experiencing everything that other women in the world have experienced, despite of religion and location. This is important to keep in mind because even though culture does have many implications when it comes to gender roles, women are still women, no matter where they are.
This article illustrated the importance of being careful when reading the status of Hindu women in India. It mentioned that many base their opinions on Hindu women solely on the information they find on the internet, and what the media has to say about Hindu women. What I liked the most was that it explained that women everywhere were experiencing everything that other women in the world have experienced, despite of religion and location. This is important to keep in mind because even though culture does have many implications when it comes to gender roles, women are still women, no matter where they are.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Annotated Source #2 Thursday, January 26t, 2012
INDIA "The Essential Guide to customs and culture"
Becky Stephen
"Private and Family Life"
This section of my culture guide book about India provided really interesting information about the way Indians view personal and family life. It mentions the fact that there is really no sense of space or privacy. It was interesting to note this because I would really expect that from Latin, Polynesian and African cultures; so it was interesting to read about the togetherness of the Indian culture.
The word "space" really does not have the same meaning that Westerners have. Often times, families live together in a two room apartment and there is no really open spaces for individuals to have their private time.
When it comes to family relations, according to the article, Indians are very open in regards to life, except for that which may bring shame or embarrassment to the family. This includes mental illness and physical or sexual abuse. This is due to the fact that this kind of information would put potential strain on finding a spouse or shame on the sisters and daughters of a certain family.
The last section of the article talked about parenting and how mothers are so close to their children. In the West, parents encourage their children to be independent and promote autonomy. This is the contrary in Indian culture. According to the article, mothers sleep with their children and feed them from their hands. Mothers and sons have a very close relationship-which only fosters responsibility in the offspring because they have to take care of their parents when they are old.
It was so interesting to read this and to learn a little bit more about the traditional culture of India. Although the article did mention that there was a culture shift and things were becoming more modernized, it is important to understand and know about the traditional and general culture.
Becky Stephen
"Private and Family Life"
This section of my culture guide book about India provided really interesting information about the way Indians view personal and family life. It mentions the fact that there is really no sense of space or privacy. It was interesting to note this because I would really expect that from Latin, Polynesian and African cultures; so it was interesting to read about the togetherness of the Indian culture.
The word "space" really does not have the same meaning that Westerners have. Often times, families live together in a two room apartment and there is no really open spaces for individuals to have their private time.
When it comes to family relations, according to the article, Indians are very open in regards to life, except for that which may bring shame or embarrassment to the family. This includes mental illness and physical or sexual abuse. This is due to the fact that this kind of information would put potential strain on finding a spouse or shame on the sisters and daughters of a certain family.
The last section of the article talked about parenting and how mothers are so close to their children. In the West, parents encourage their children to be independent and promote autonomy. This is the contrary in Indian culture. According to the article, mothers sleep with their children and feed them from their hands. Mothers and sons have a very close relationship-which only fosters responsibility in the offspring because they have to take care of their parents when they are old.
It was so interesting to read this and to learn a little bit more about the traditional culture of India. Although the article did mention that there was a culture shift and things were becoming more modernized, it is important to understand and know about the traditional and general culture.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Annotated Source #1 Tuesday, January 24, 2012
National Geographic
I recently read an article that talked about empowering women around the world and the several efforts that went into that. The article mentioned a specific organization named UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. This organization keeps track of growing populations and child rates around the world. According to the article, the younger women get married, their daughters will do the same, which will lead to an increased number of girls, since in developing countries, many of the girls drop out of school in order to get married. Something interesting about this article is that it mentioned the empowerment of women through education. However, it also made mention of urbanization as a very positive aspect of development, which I disagree with.
When it comes to my personal project though, I thought this was great because I am interested in looking at the perceptions that the women have in the rural village in Coimbatore. I wonder how they feel about education in their lives and more importantly, in their children's, specifically their daughters. There was a quote that I really liked from the article that said "if you educate a girl, you educate a nation". I thought that this was fascinating because I have read research before that has shown the importance of education in women's lives in developing countries. It empowers them to teach their children, which will also most likely receive an education. I will be careful not to impose my opinion on education too much though, once I am in India. I love education, and I personally think it is vital in the development of a human being. However, I know that education is also a culture value and I want to be sensitive to the values and feelings of the women I will be interacting with in Tamil Nadu.
I recently read an article that talked about empowering women around the world and the several efforts that went into that. The article mentioned a specific organization named UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. This organization keeps track of growing populations and child rates around the world. According to the article, the younger women get married, their daughters will do the same, which will lead to an increased number of girls, since in developing countries, many of the girls drop out of school in order to get married. Something interesting about this article is that it mentioned the empowerment of women through education. However, it also made mention of urbanization as a very positive aspect of development, which I disagree with.
When it comes to my personal project though, I thought this was great because I am interested in looking at the perceptions that the women have in the rural village in Coimbatore. I wonder how they feel about education in their lives and more importantly, in their children's, specifically their daughters. There was a quote that I really liked from the article that said "if you educate a girl, you educate a nation". I thought that this was fascinating because I have read research before that has shown the importance of education in women's lives in developing countries. It empowers them to teach their children, which will also most likely receive an education. I will be careful not to impose my opinion on education too much though, once I am in India. I love education, and I personally think it is vital in the development of a human being. However, I know that education is also a culture value and I want to be sensitive to the values and feelings of the women I will be interacting with in Tamil Nadu.
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