Browsing by Subject "identity"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Open Access
Olfactory Social Stratification
(University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Ghosh, Sayantan
Smell plays a crucial role in our everyday life. From dawn till night, social actors go through different types of smells, react differently and build an image on an olfactory basis. At a bazaar, we sniff out our preferred lemon or mango, we opt for our best perfume or deodorant during intimacy, we also opt for deodorants or perfumes for official purposes, but the choice of the fragrance and its intensity may vary. It is not only about food habits or self presentation but smell also plays a key role in stratifying individuals, groups and spaces. Each group in the hierarchy has a specific social and olfactory position. The social construct and olfactory construct often go hand in hand. Whether actual or not, the olfactory perception of each stratum is different. Thus, whether upper class and lower class people really smell different or not, they are socially constructed and hence are expected to smell differently. Similarly, men and women are often portrayed as having different olfactory identities. Smell tells the tale of a person – about his/her gender, caste or class position. Just like individuals and groups, spaces are also classified or stratified in terms of olfaction. It is often argued that each group in the social hierarchy has a distinct smell –whether it is real or not is not the search here. Rather this paper focuses on how each group (in terms of caste, class and gender) and space is socially constructed in specific olfactory terms and how groups and spaces are stratified in terms of olfaction. I have opted for literary sources and in-depth interviews as my method of study. This paper is an effort to reveal the relation between olfaction and social stratification.
Open Access
Trans - Rights Are Human Rights : An Evaluation of Law on the Protection of Transgender Rights in India
(University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Syiem, Angel H.; Kumar, Priya Ranjan
2014 is a year to be remembered in the history of India in terms of Transgender Rights, followed by its fruit in the year 2019. The Judiciary in recognizing the status of Transgender Persons in the country, identified them as the ‘third gender’ in the NALSA Judgment (2014). Following cue, the Indian Parliament passed The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. At the international level too, the efforts of respecting, safeguarding, protecting and fulfilling the rights of Transgender has been witnessed constantly through strong recommendations and comments of the United Nations Charter and Treaty based bodies. The promulgation of the Act of 2019 in India was a celebrated event as many believed, that it marked an end to the age long marginalization and discrimination faced by the Transgender Community. A cursory glance at the legislation would give many, hopes in that regard. However, it was and is still met with opposition from the Transgender Activists leading to the struggle of the community to continue. What makes this legislation an issue of debate? It is questioned on the basis of the very definition of the term ‘Transgender’. It rejects some of the most important points of the NALSA guidelines. It is almost completely silent on civil and political rights and most importantly it lacks the voice of Trans-genders themselves for whom the law is made. This however does not mean that it is a failed legislation. It is certainly an effort worth appreciating as it opened doors for prohibition of discrimination and providing social welfare measures for the community. This paper, seeks to address some of the limitations and gaps of the legislation. In doing so, it also tries to understand the concept of trans-genders, the historical background in India, forms of discrimination faced by the community, international human rights laws provisions on their rights and the role of judiciary in promoting the rights of the community.