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Witches, Tea Plantations, and the Lives of Migrant Laborers in India
Date: Thursday, 18 Apr 2013 Time: 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Location: E-4 East Fee Hall (Near the Medical Bookstore)
Description
Witches, Migrant and Lives of Plantation Workers in India is a sociological study on how to interpret the ongoing witchcraft accusations among a tea plantation workers community in India. Employing sociological, anthropological and historical perspectives, this presentation will explore how the adivasi (tribal) migrant worker community in Jalpaiguri, India, uses witchcraft accusations to deal with illness and oppression in their lives.
As the typical avenues of social protest are often unavailable to adivasis, due to lack of political representation and resources, the female dain (witch) often serves as a scapegoat for the malice of the plantation economy. By framing these witch hunts as a discourse, they are no longer considered exotic/primitive rituals of a backward community, but as a powerful protest by a community against its oppressors.
Soma Chaudhuri is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, where she holds a joint position in the Department of Sociology and in the School of Criminal Justice. Her research focuses on violence (collective violence and domestic violence), social movements, gender, and witch hunts. Her 2012 article regarding the impact of micro-credit loans on anti-witch hunt movements earned an honorable mention as an outstanding article from the American Sociological Association. Dr. Chaudhuri obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts in India before traveling to Vanderbilt University to complete a second Master of Arts and a doctoral degree in sociology.
Free Pizza & Pop!
