Papers by Rashid K Khadher
Data and Their ‘Afterlives’: Knowledge Production and Consumption in Community-Based Research, 2024
This chapter is an outcome of the discussions in the International Workshop on Unsettling Archaeo... more This chapter is an outcome of the discussions in the International Workshop on Unsettling Archaeology held on September 26–29, 2022, at the Indian Institute of Technology—Gandhinagar (IITGN). The workshop focused on ‘unsettling’ the established archaeological practice in innovative ways to integrate and engage indige-nous and non-indigenous communities. The workshop provided us an opportunity to discuss similar questions in community-based research in sociology and anthro-pology. Research, as we know, is embodied in multiple dilemmas of positionalities and power dynamics. Placing ‘data’ as the anchoring point of our chapter, we discuss its various forms and sites of production, preservation, dissemination and different forms the data takes shapes all along. We track the ‘data’ and its ‘afterlives’ and show how data continues to shape knowledge production and consumption in community-based research. Throughout this process, the role of the researcher(s) continues to be central in influencing how analysis is carried out. By doing this, we bring forth the multiple dilemmas of positionalities and power that researcher(s) gain by acquiring ‘data’, in this case, from the indigenous communities, and how, over a period of time, both data and researcher(s) gain power, status and prestige in the academic world.
Our research documented the techniques of animal trappings and hunting by indigenous people in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. As ‘outsiders’ to the field area, and with the help of funding from the Government of India’s (GoI) national science-based organisation, the research is a multiple layered field of different posi-tionalities which bring in various levels of power relations between both researchers and institutions, researchers and indigenous peoples.
Human-bird Relations: Religious and Cultural and Cultural Significance , 2024
Birds have long constituted an important role in the lives of humans, being intertwined with our ... more Birds have long constituted an important role in the lives of humans, being intertwined with our notions of space, time, and practices. Religions and cultures in particular play an important role in shaping Human-bird relations. This paper examines the multiple cultural and religious ways in which birds are represented, and human-bird relations are shaped, with a focus on India. Relevant information was synthesized by consulting peer-reviewed articles, books, translations of religious scriptures, and a limited number of popular online articles and documentaries. The paper also draws on limited data collected through fieldwork in different regions. The paper starts by examining how birds are portrayed, represented, and discussed in two major religions: Hinduism and Islam. it further examines how the behaviours of different birds are interpreted as important omens.A section followed underlines briefly how birds are discussed in different indigenous traditions. By illustrating the examples of Demoiselle Crane migrations in the Khichan village of Rajasthan and the Chabutros of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, we highlight how human-bird relations are mediated by kindness and compassion.
Human-bird relations in India an Interdisciplinary Study, 2023
A birdwatcher’s paradise, India has over 1,300 bird species, 75 of
which are endemic, making it a... more A birdwatcher’s paradise, India has over 1,300 bird species, 75 of
which are endemic, making it a premier destination for birdwatching
(Grewal & Singh 2020). With such diversity, birdwatching has gained
much traction in India. In recent decades, from merely being a leisure
or research activity, it has evolved to be one of the visible
manifestations of today’s growing urban Indian middle class. (Urfi
2012). Keeping birdwatching at the centre of the discourse, our study
aims to offer an interdisciplinary understanding of human-bird
relations. In doing so, this preliminary report explores the history,
sociology and ethno-ornithology of birdwatching in India and delves
into the multiple ways humans connect to their feathered friends. The
cultural dimension of human-bird relations, how, where and why
birdwatching is carried in India, as well as technology and
birdwatching, are among the topics this report covers. We draw from
online surveys, ad-hoc interviews with birdwatchers in Ahmedabad
and Gandhinagar (both in Gujarat, India), telephonic interviews, and a
number of published literature and archival material. The report
contributes to the literature on birdwatching and discusses human-bird
relations in India.
Birds of IITGN, 2022
A golden beam of sun piercing through the windows along with gleeful early morning chirruping of ... more A golden beam of sun piercing through the windows along with gleeful early morning chirruping of a hundred varieties of birds is how a morning begins in the lush green campus of IIT-Gandhinagar. The vast green campus is a heaven for bird lovers. It is home to a variety of birds and mammals and plays host to many migratory birds in winter. Abode to nearly 100 species of birds, including those that migrate from other countries, our campus has various intersecting landscapes. Nothing relieves the stress of everyday life than being with nature and with all its diversity. We, residents of IIT-Gandhinagar, are lucky to share our home with a wide variety of birds.
Book Reviews by Rashid K Khadher
Tigers are Our Brothers: Anthropology of Wildlife Conservation in Northeast India by Ambika Aiyadurai (2021): A Review by Rashid Khadher, 2022
Ambika’s book wonderfully captures the politics and poetics of conservation, especially tiger con... more Ambika’s book wonderfully captures the politics and poetics of conservation, especially tiger conservation in the Dibang Valley. The presentation of the local ecological perspectives of the Idu-Mishmi and how they are contested with the views of the state conservationists aptly exemplifies the long-running state versus community debates over conservation. Though seemingly biased towards the community, Ambika’s arguments are nonetheless crucial, especially in light of how several conservation initiatives overlooked the local point of view, thereby violating their rights. The book is strong in its ethnographic narrations. One of the things that set this work apart from others discussing similar themes is its ethnographic narrations. From methods to ethics, the book contains valuable insights for both students and practitioners of ethnography. Another appreciable feature of this work is its readability. Despite containing complex academic themes and perspectives, the articulation remains ‘strongly simple’ and with no extraneous jargon. Thus, it is likely to be comprehended well by the non-academic class of readers as well.
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Papers by Rashid K Khadher
Our research documented the techniques of animal trappings and hunting by indigenous people in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. As ‘outsiders’ to the field area, and with the help of funding from the Government of India’s (GoI) national science-based organisation, the research is a multiple layered field of different posi-tionalities which bring in various levels of power relations between both researchers and institutions, researchers and indigenous peoples.
which are endemic, making it a premier destination for birdwatching
(Grewal & Singh 2020). With such diversity, birdwatching has gained
much traction in India. In recent decades, from merely being a leisure
or research activity, it has evolved to be one of the visible
manifestations of today’s growing urban Indian middle class. (Urfi
2012). Keeping birdwatching at the centre of the discourse, our study
aims to offer an interdisciplinary understanding of human-bird
relations. In doing so, this preliminary report explores the history,
sociology and ethno-ornithology of birdwatching in India and delves
into the multiple ways humans connect to their feathered friends. The
cultural dimension of human-bird relations, how, where and why
birdwatching is carried in India, as well as technology and
birdwatching, are among the topics this report covers. We draw from
online surveys, ad-hoc interviews with birdwatchers in Ahmedabad
and Gandhinagar (both in Gujarat, India), telephonic interviews, and a
number of published literature and archival material. The report
contributes to the literature on birdwatching and discusses human-bird
relations in India.
Book Reviews by Rashid K Khadher
Our research documented the techniques of animal trappings and hunting by indigenous people in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. As ‘outsiders’ to the field area, and with the help of funding from the Government of India’s (GoI) national science-based organisation, the research is a multiple layered field of different posi-tionalities which bring in various levels of power relations between both researchers and institutions, researchers and indigenous peoples.
which are endemic, making it a premier destination for birdwatching
(Grewal & Singh 2020). With such diversity, birdwatching has gained
much traction in India. In recent decades, from merely being a leisure
or research activity, it has evolved to be one of the visible
manifestations of today’s growing urban Indian middle class. (Urfi
2012). Keeping birdwatching at the centre of the discourse, our study
aims to offer an interdisciplinary understanding of human-bird
relations. In doing so, this preliminary report explores the history,
sociology and ethno-ornithology of birdwatching in India and delves
into the multiple ways humans connect to their feathered friends. The
cultural dimension of human-bird relations, how, where and why
birdwatching is carried in India, as well as technology and
birdwatching, are among the topics this report covers. We draw from
online surveys, ad-hoc interviews with birdwatchers in Ahmedabad
and Gandhinagar (both in Gujarat, India), telephonic interviews, and a
number of published literature and archival material. The report
contributes to the literature on birdwatching and discusses human-bird
relations in India.