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Journal ArticleDOI

Kanjar subculture: socialisation for sex work amongst traditional entertainers in India

01 Feb 2021-Culture, Health & Sexuality (Informa UK Limited)-Vol. 23, Iss: 2, pp 273-283
TL;DR: Findings from an ethnographic study of the Kanjar community of northern India are used to argue that sex work is a traditional occupation with a long complex history and a distinct subculture embedded in its economic structure that Kanjars are neither ashamed of, nor apologetic about.
Abstract: Sex work is perceived as an undesirable activity in India. It is widely believed that sex workers are either the victims of trafficking or have taken up sex work out of compulsion. Furthermore, it ...
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the experiences of women of Bachhara community in Madhya Pradesh, India and found that family coercion, community norms, and lack of livelihood alternatives are the major contributing factors for women's entry into sex work.
Abstract: In this qualitative study, we have attempted to explore the experiences of women of Bachhara community in Madhya Pradesh, India. The tradition of community sanctioned sex work is prevalent in this community, which often forces the women to enter into it. The study setting was three villages of Mandsaur District and one village of Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, India. We have interviewed 23 women participants involved in sex work. The study's findings underline that family coercion, community norms, and lack of livelihood alternatives are the major contributing factors for women's entry into sex work. The instances of violence, stigmatization, and discrimination are the women's dominating experience in sex work. The study reveals that the badge of 'criminal tribes' during the colonial rule continues to push this community on the margins and subject to multiple deprivations, especially the women folks. This research implies that urgent interventions are required to address the current state of the Bachhara community.
References
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Book
01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: Hebdige's Subculture: The Meaning of Style as discussed by the authors is an attempt to subject the various youth-protest movements of Britain in the last 15 years to the sort of Marxist, structuralist, semiotic analytical techniques propagated by, above all, Roland Barthes.
Abstract: 'Hebdige's Subculture: The Meaning of Style is so important: complex and remarkably lucid, it's the first book dealing with punk to offer intellectual content. Hebdige [...] is concerned with the UK's postwar, music-centred, white working-class subcultures, from teddy boys to mods and rockers to skinheads and punks.' - Rolling Stone With enviable precision and wit Hebdige has addressed himself to a complex topic - the meanings behind the fashionable exteriors of working-class youth subcultures - approaching them with a sophisticated theoretical apparatus that combines semiotics, the sociology of devience and Marxism and come up with a very stimulating short book - Time Out This book is an attempt to subject the various youth-protest movements of Britain in the last 15 years to the sort of Marxist, structuralist, semiotic analytical techniques propagated by, above all, Roland Barthes. The book is recommended whole-heartedly to anyone who would like fresh ideas about some of the most stimulating music of the rock era - The New York Times

4,217 citations

Book
01 Jan 1852
TL;DR: The first issue of Die Revolution, 1852, New York; Online Version: Marx/Engels Internet Archive (marxists.org) 1995, 1999; Transcription/Markup: Zodiac and Brian Basgen Proofed: and corrected by Alek Blain, 2006 as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Written: December 1851 March 1852; Source: Chapters 1 & 7 are translated by Saul K. Padover from the German edition of 1869; Chapters 2 through 6 are based on the third edition, prepared by Engels (1885), as translated and published by Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1937; First Published: First issue of Die Revolution, 1852, New York; Online Version: Marx/Engels Internet Archive (marxists.org) 1995, 1999; Transcription/Markup: Zodiac and Brian Basgen Proofed: and corrected by Alek Blain, 2006.

2,802 citations

Book
01 Jan 1972
TL;DR: Cohen's Folk Devils and Moral Panics as mentioned in this paperolk devils and moral panics is an outstanding investigation of the way the media and often those in a position of political power define a condition, or group, as a threat to societal values and interests.
Abstract: 'Richly documented and convincingly presented' -- New Society Mods and Rockers, skinheads, video nasties, designer drugs, bogus asylum seeks and hoodies. Every era has its own moral panics. It was Stanley Cohen’s classic account, first published in the early 1970s and regularly revised, that brought the term ‘moral panic’ into widespread discussion. It is an outstanding investigation of the way in which the media and often those in a position of political power define a condition, or group, as a threat to societal values and interests. Fanned by screaming media headlines, Cohen brilliantly demonstrates how this leads to such groups being marginalised and vilified in the popular imagination, inhibiting rational debate about solutions to the social problems such groups represent. Furthermore, he argues that moral panics go even further by identifying the very fault lines of power in society. Full of sharp insight and analysis, Folk Devils and Moral Panics is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand this powerful and enduring phenomenon. Professor Stanley Cohen is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics. He received the Sellin-Glueck Award of the American Society of Criminology (1985) and is on the Board of the International Council on Human Rights. He is a member of the British Academy.

1,864 citations

BookDOI
TL;DR: Global Sex Workers as mentioned in this paper presents the personal experiences of sex workers around the world, drawing on their individual narratives, explores international struggles to uphold the rights of this often marginalized group, and explores international struggle to defend human rights.
Abstract: Global Sex Workers presents the personal experiences of sex workers around the world. Drawing on their individual narratives, it explores international struggles to uphold the rights of this often marginalized group.

567 citations

Book
18 Jun 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that culture is central to development, and that cultural processes are neither inherently good nor bad and never static; rather, they are contested and evolving, and can be a source of profound social and economic transformation through their influence on aspirations and collective action.
Abstract: How does culture matter for development? Do certain societies have cultures which condemn them to poverty? Led by Arjun Appadurai, Mary Douglas, and Amartya Sen, the anthropologists and economists in this volume contend that culture is central to development, and that cultural processes are neither inherently good nor bad and never static. Rather, they are contested and evolving, and can be a source of profound social and economic transformation through their influence on aspirations and collective action; yet they can also be exploitative, exclusionary, and can lead to inequality. Culture and Public Action includes case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which examine the role of culture in community-based development, ethnic conflict, famine relief, gender discrimination, and HIV-AIDS policy. The editors conclude by proposing how a "cultural lens" can better inform future research and public policy on development. Accessible, balanced, and engaging, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the relationship between culture and economics, and the design and implementation of development policy. For further information on the book and related essays, please visit: http://www.cultureandpublicaction.org For orders from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, please e-mail Permanent Black at perblack@ndb.vsnl.net.in.

494 citations