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On Mātsyanyāya: The State of Nature in Indian Thought
Abstract
This paper calls attention to mātsyanyāya, or state of nature theories, in classical Indian thought, and their significance. The focus is on those discussions of mātsyanyāya found in the law books, political treatises and the Mahābhārata epic. The significance and relevance of mātsyanyāya theories are shown through a comparison with early modern state of nature theories and an elaboration on the possible place of rights and dharma in mātsyanyāya and the consequences of this for classical Indian political theory.
Abstract: The study investigates the multifaceted issue of harassment faced by
working women in Dhaka City’s public transportation system. The research
aimed to identify and categorize types of harassment, analyze their prevalence
and patterns, assess the impact on women’s lives, evaluate existing support
mechanisms and legal frameworks, and develop policy recommendations
and interventions. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating
both quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive analysis.
A sample survey of 180 participants and 12 detailed case studies were
undertaken. It was found that most female workers on these routes (78%) are
employed in low-income jobs in both public and private sectors. The findings
revealed that 97.8% of respondents experienced verbal harassment, including
catcalling, sexual comments, insults, and abuse. Non-verbal harassment was
reported by 82.2% of respondents and included behaviors such as staring,
leering, or making lewd gestures. Psychological harassment was reported
by 36% of respondents, with catcalling being the most frequent form. The
study found that 92% of women experienced a high degree of psychological
and emotional impact due to harassment, with 168 out of 180 respondents
discussing the significant negative impact on their quality of life. Based on
the findings, the study recommends enhanced security measures such as
increased presence of security personnel and CCTV surveillance, public
awareness and sensitization campaigns, improved reporting mechanisms,
designated women-only areas in public transport, stricter legal penalties for
offenders, community engagement, and gender-sensitive urban planning.
Keywords: harassment, public transportation, working women, Dhaka
This article analyses and compares ancient Greek and Indian social contract theories. On the Greek side, social theories comprising a contractual understanding of the origins of society are encountered, inter alia , in the works of Herodotus, Plato and Polybius – while comparable Indian accounts may be gathered from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad , the Dīgha Nikāya and the Mahābhārata . Through close readings of these and other texts, it is shown that both the Greek and Indian theories largely rely on the concept of monarchy as the cornerstone of social order. The Greek and Indian accounts also incorporate certain elements reoccurring in early modern European social contract theories, yet in other respects the former fundamentally differ from the latter.
Analyses of IBSA tend to take the declared South–South logic of IBSA at face value and use it as a benchmark against which to evaluate the coherence of the initiative. Chapter 4 provides a detailed review of the discursive sediment that foreign policy makers can and must build on in IBSA countries in defining their country’s role in the international system. Basis for this chapter is a review of the secondary literature on foreign policy discourses of the three countries, complemented by primary sources. The selection of material is grounded on the main analytical perspective of this study, especially the spectrum of foreign policy role conceptions as well as the main operational dimensions of IBSA. In order to connect this review with the following content analysis of official and societal discourse (Chaps. 5 and 6), the main strands of discourse are summarized in terms of ideal-typical framings:
India: Gandhian, Nehruvian, Hindu, and neoliberal-globalist framing
Brazil: developmentalist, neoliberal and neo-developmentalist framing
South Africa: revolutionary-internationalist, Pan-Africanist, and neoliberal framing
On this basis, this chapter aims for a first comparative look at the discursive potential of IBSA as it appears from the commonalities and contradictions among the main discourses present in its member countries.
Manu ’s Code of Law is one of the most important texts in the Sanskrit canon, indeed one of the most important surviving texts from any classical civilization. It paints an astoundingly detailed picture of ancient Indian life-covering everything from the constitution of the king ’s cabinet to the price of a ferry trip for a pregnant woman-and its doctrines have been central to Indian thought and practice for 2000 years. Despite its importance, however, until now no one has produced a critical edition of this text. As a result, for centuries scholars have been forced to accept clearly inferior editions of Sanskrit texts and to use those unreliable editions as the basis for constructing the history of classical India. In this volume, Patrick Olivelle has assembled the critical text of Manu, including a critical apparatus containing all the significant manuscript variants, along with a reliable and readable translation, copious explanatory notes, and a comprehensive introduction on the structure, content, and socio-political context of the treatise. The result is an outstanding scholarly achievement that will be an essential tool for any serious student of India.
Rousseau: The Discourses and Other Early Political Writings November 2018
This book adopts a conceptual approach to the issue of Hinduism and human rights in a cultural ethos in which they are perceived, at least initially, as antithetical, if not antagonistic to each other, perhaps even displaying an aversion to each other bordering on hostility. It offers a rich network of interrelated questions about human rights from a variety of Hindu and non-Hindu angles. The study focuses on the conceptual level of debate and tries to show that there is room for classical or traditional Hindu concepts and ideas in the current international debates on human rights protection. The book raises many pertinent issues concerning the relation between Hinduism and human rights. The indological literature on Hinduism and Hindu culture has never addressed the human rights perspective, and the author has analysed this issue by discussing issues like the caste system (varna, jati), the stages of life (asrama), the four Ages (yugas), and freedom of conscience and Hinduism.
This is the revised version of Peter Laslett's acclaimed edition of Two Treatises of Government, which is widely recognised as one of the classic pieces of recent scholarship in the history of ideas, read and used by students of political theory throughout the world. This 1988 edition revises Dr Laslett's second edition (1970) and includes an updated bibliography, a guide to further reading and a fully reset and revised introduction which surveys advances in Locke scholarship since publication of the second edition. In the introduction, Dr Laslett shows that the Two Treatises were not a rationalisation of the events of 1688 but rather a call for a revolution yet to come.
Hinduism: The anthropology of a civilization (R. Nice, Trans.)
- M Biardeau
Biardeau, M. (2002). Hinduism: The anthropology of a civilization (R. Nice, Trans.). New Delhi: OUP.
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Gourevitch, V. (1997). Introduction. In V. Gourevitch (Ed.), The discourses and other early political writings (pp. ix–xxxi). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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