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Article
Publication date: 30 March 2012

Maitrayee Ghosh

The purpose of this paper is to present a summary report of the 35th Social Science Congress deliberations held in December 2011 at MGAHV, Wardha, India.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a summary report of the 35th Social Science Congress deliberations held in December 2011 at MGAHV, Wardha, India.

Design/methodology/approach

The report includes selected presentations and provides a review of some of the events of the ISSA's 35th Social Science Congress. The author's observation/participation and discussion on vital areas, namely, peaceful co‐existence and just world, created an insight to prepare this report.

Findings

The Indian Academy of Social Science (ISSA) was established on August 15, 1974 at Allahabad, with the vision to discover, develop and disseminate the science of Nature‐Humans‐Society with a view to enable people of India to enjoy higher quality of material, social and cultural life while living in peace and harmony with nature. Today corruption has taken center stage in India and at this juncture the discussion on the theme is most appropriate to evolve a blueprint for peaceful co‐existence and a just world. The congress programs were designed to help participants tackle current issues and prepare them for future challenges. The theme generated a lot of discussion on what is a just world and what is the right pathway towards working for peaceful co‐existence.

Originality/value

The 35th Social Science congress report will be of interest to every member of the society on a global scale to understand the challenges, issues, and opportunities for peaceful co‐existence with special reference to poor and disadvantaged populations.

Abstract

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1988

Merry Burlingham

South Asia is a complex and fascinating region. Comprised of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, the subcontinent is home to all the world's great…

Abstract

South Asia is a complex and fascinating region. Comprised of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, the subcontinent is home to all the world's great religions, to numerous languages and dialects, to ethnic diversity, and to a well‐developed publishing industry. Where formerly South Asia was in the news for gurus, Mahatma Gandhi, or Mother Teresa, today it is before the public in terms of nuclear proliferation in Pakistan and India, ethnic/religious strife in Sri Lanka and India, and the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal. Through the Library of Congress' five South Asian programs, a number of academic libraries in the United States have developed superb collections, which include contemporary and historical topics, to support teaching and research on South Asia. It is the thesis of this article that these specialized resources should be more widely known and used by our colleagues and the general public.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Maitrayee Ghosh

This paper aims to understand e-books’ popularity in India and the potential of mobile devices to reach huge number of readers because of content absorption through mobile phones…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand e-books’ popularity in India and the potential of mobile devices to reach huge number of readers because of content absorption through mobile phones and iPods.

Design/methodology/approach

To accomplish the goal of this study, the author used a mixed method of study: an analysis of the academic literature, data collection through personal interaction, questionnaire survey and library website to understand users’ perceptions on potential of mobile devices on access to content, and appraised on mobile-friendly services in libraries and strategies for promoting mobile content and best practices.

Findings

The mobile age has brought tremendous scope for reading on low-cost mobile devices that are within the reach of almost every Indian and has incorporated optimism in a highly populated country like India. The technology and expertise for digitisation in India correlate with not only digital-savvy but also multimedia- and animation-skilled workforce, which altogether developed an ecosystem favourable for e-book production.

Originality/value

The literature on e-books in India is scanty, although there are a handful of case studies on academic libraries conducted by librarians but no systematic large-scale research on initiatives, advocacy programs and promotional processes to improve the overall scenario; this paper is an attempt to fill the gap.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Maitrayee Ghosh

The author shares information about the American Library Association’s 133rd annual conference in Las Vegas. This conference served as an open forum for participants on incredible…

319

Abstract

Purpose

The author shares information about the American Library Association’s 133rd annual conference in Las Vegas. This conference served as an open forum for participants on incredible range of topics, namely, e-books, digital content, innovation and community engagement, library instruction, copyright, outreach, privacy, library advocacy, literacy, data-driven decision making, intellectual freedom, teen services, gaming, leadership and best practices on a range of library-related concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

This report is a brief outline of ALA 2014 annual conference in Las Vegas with focus on international programs. It summarizes selective events, including author’s presentation on e-books advocacy in India, International Librarians’ Reception and paper session organized by IRRT.

Findings

ALA annual conference at Las Vegas was one of the best professional development opportunities for librarians, with a large variety of programs, activities and exhibition. The event attracted librarians from all sectors and work environments from many countries and highlighted issues in librarianship and latest technology development; its use in libraries will be of interest to this journal’s readership, especially information professionals from all over the world.

Originality/value

ALA Annual conference in June 26-July 1, 2014 was the largest conference of librarians touched all topics in librarianship. It is difficult to describe the entire conference events even briefly in an article. The author’s experiences during the international events are highlighted.

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2018

Nirali Shah

This paper aims to provide an understanding of how brands acquire meanings in a historical context. It examines the politico-economic environment that led to emergence of khadi in…

423

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an understanding of how brands acquire meanings in a historical context. It examines the politico-economic environment that led to emergence of khadi in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses historical data to examine political economy of khadi. The author uses both written text and visuals for data collection and analysis.

Findings

It elucidates how the significance of khadi changed from being a mere cloth to a product of self-sufficiency and national importance in India’s freedom movement. This work is based on the analysis of Gandhian activities, especially consumption of khadi and usage of spinning wheel, during Indian freedom movement. The work analyzes the evolution of khadi in its historical, social and political context in colonial India. This paper reveals how and why brands acquire certain historical meanings.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is developed in colonial India.

Originality/value

This paper examines the role of institutions, social and political movements in the creation, development and nurturing of a brand and its meanings.

Details

Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-750X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 December 2009

Rebecca L. Schiff

This chapter focuses on the development of concordance theory with respect to India's civil–military relations and Pakistan's early yet significant state of discordance, which led…

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the development of concordance theory with respect to India's civil–military relations and Pakistan's early yet significant state of discordance, which led to subsequent domestic military interventions. On a regional level, discordance is far more prevalent, and India operates in a South Asian environment where domestic military interventions are not uncommon – Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka being clear examples.

Moreover, the influence of China in the region cannot be overlooked, since India's defense policy is often a reaction to the role of China and the presence of conventional and nuclear forces. The proliferation of nuclear weapons, in particular, threatens a delicate balance in a highly volatile region where China exerts enormous influence on neighboring states including Pakistan. An argument can be made that India's domestic concordance between the military, the political elites, and the citizenry contributes to the preservation of regional stability, because India has chosen to maintain its regional strength vis-à-vis China and Pakistan, while continuing to search for a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue with allies such as the United States. India's most recent and ongoing nuclear deal with the United States originally struck in 2005 is an example of the delicate synergies taking place to offset potential threats from China, Pakistan, and Iran, while maintaining domestic military and technological strength.

Although India's successful domestic course encourages partnerships among international political and corporate allies, Pakistan's continuous domestic discordance has resulted in recent difficult relations with the United States, India, and Afghanistan. Pakistan's inability to quell al-Quaeda extremism has contributed to a lack of domestic confidence in General Musharraf's political agenda. Musharraf has continued the discordant political and social relationship begun by his predecessor Ayub Khan. As a result of Khan's initial and dramatic alienation of the East Bengali community, Pakistan's military and political elites have never recovered the domestic credibility needed to partner with other political groups and the citizenry – a credibility so vital to domestic concordance and international foreign policy.I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.– Mahatma Gandhi

Details

Advances in Military Sociology: Essays in Honor of Charles C. Moskos
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-893-9

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2018

Shajitha C. and Abdul Majeed K.C.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content growth of institutional repositories (IR) in South India and analyse the type-wise growth of items available in these IRs and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content growth of institutional repositories (IR) in South India and analyse the type-wise growth of items available in these IRs and also discuss the traits and trends exposed by them.

Design/methodology/approach

With the help of Registry of Open Access Repositories and Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR), 39 repositories were located in south India. From these, Personal websites, the IRs that are currently not working and the repositories used for journal archiving were excluded. A total of 22 operational IRs at 21 institutions were identified for the study. Within a 15 month period, the data were collected from the 22 IRs twice for monitoring content growth.

Findings

The content of nearly all IRs have grown over the 15 month period, and the overall content growth rate was 7.82 per cent. Journal articles were the important content type of IRs, while thesis and conference papers were the next common. Moreover, item monographs exhibited the highest growth rate. Other categories, conference proceedings, and conference papers also exhibited a high growth rate. The present study revealed that Indian repositories were actively engaged in data curation activities, depositing a wide variety of items in their respective IRs. Overall, South Indian repositories exhibited a slow growth rate and tended to become inactive. Most South Indian Universities had not constituted the IRs, which led to the dominance of English language material in these IRs.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted only in South Indian IRs.

Originality/value

This is the first study in India, attempting to determine the type-wise growth of items in IRs.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 67 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 August 2016

Priyasha Kaul

The chapter explores how gender has been an integral part of the nation building project in post-liberalisation Hindi cinema, popularly, known as Bollywood.

Abstract

Purpose

The chapter explores how gender has been an integral part of the nation building project in post-liberalisation Hindi cinema, popularly, known as Bollywood.

Design/methodology/approach

This chapter is based on primary data gathered through interviews with prominent members of the Hindi film industry along with a detailed content analysis of commercially successful post-liberalisation mainstream Hindi films.

Findings

It highlights how the representation of gender has been a central axis around which the tension between tradition and modernity has been played out in Hindi Cinema. The construction of Indianness post-liberalisation has questioned gender politics but proposed easy resolutions which fit into the larger nationalist narrative. In doing so, it has used the diaspora as a category to produce a nationalist account which is simultaneously essentialised and transnational in the quest for projecting India’s aspirations on the global platform.

Originality/value

The chapter provides important insights into the role of popular Hindi cinema, often brushed off as frivolous, in contributing to the mainstream discourse on nationalism post-liberalisation.

Details

Gender and Race Matter: Global Perspectives on Being a Woman
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-037-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Maitrayee Ghosh

This paper aims to summarize the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museum’s (ATALM) 7th annual conference events and focus on best practices in indigenous archives…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to summarize the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museum’s (ATALM) 7th annual conference events and focus on best practices in indigenous archives, libraries and museums. The city Palm Springs, California, played host to an “eventful” ATALM 2014 international conference which featured diverse range of activities, namely, poem reading from personal collection, melodious flute playing by native players, an open house and cultural evening at a tribal museum, etc. The conference brought together 520 registered delegates from the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

This report is an outline of selected ATALM 2014 conference events in Palm Springs based on the theme “Indigenous Archives, Libraries and Museums”. It summarizes selective events, namely, onsite workshops and poster session.

Findings

The conference focused on indigenous culture, as the participants discussed challenges and opportunities in sustaining cultural sovereignty of native nations. The hands-on or interactive labs/workshops were centered on the activities and needs of tribal archives, especially on preservation of cultural heritage. As a Fulbright scholar, the author was interested to know about American tribal history, indigenous culture, native archives and libraries, and excited to see the country’s desert scenery. Additionally, ATALM scholarship/financial support encouraged the author to attend the conference, and finally, the heat of the desert which accentuated the beauty of Palm Springs makes a complete experience.

Originality/value

The ATALM conferences are the important conference because of the participation of large number of tribal libraries and cultural heritage keeping organizations serving indigenous population. The ATALM 2014 covered areas like successful collaborations between tribal and non-tribal organizations, and building strategic networks among outside and within the communities.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

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