South Asia Citizens Web

This text, first drafted in 1995 and based on the results of several years of fieldwork, is in no way intended to provide a complete description of the Shiv Sena as a political phenomenon or as a social reality. In response to what I consider to be impasses or weaknesses in the discourse of the contemporary social sciences regarding this movement and the ensemble of politico-religious tendencies in general, I attempt only to cast light on particular elements and on little-known processes. I (…)

Women’s Studies in Religion Program, Harvard Divinity School
– 20 February 2003
Paola Bacchetta, PhD (University of California, Berkeley)

Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities, 2005

(October 2007)
Last week, Rajan Hoole of University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) accepted the Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders on behalf of UTHR(J), his colleague K.Sritharan, and himself.
Many of us who had been following their writings from 1987 onwards were overjoyed when the Martin Ennals Foundation finally gave them the recognition they so richly deserve. Like a compass, their reports have provided direction to seekers of justice and peace in Sri Lanka’s (…)

Hindustan Times, 28 April 2008
The Supreme Court’s observations (March 31) regarding the armed group named ’Salwa Judum’ affect not only the state of Chhatisgarh, where this group operates, but pose questions to major actors across the political spectrum. Admitting two public interest petitions on the matter Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan asked the respondent, “How can the State give arms to some persons? The State will be abetting in a crime if these private persons kill others.” This (…)