DOCSLIB.ORG

Capturing Caste in Law: the Legal Regulation of Caste and Caste-Based Discrimination

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Capturing Caste in Law: the Legal Regulation of Caste and Caste-Based Discrimination Capturing Caste in Law: The Legal Regulation of Caste and Caste-Based Discrimination Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy by Annapurna Deborah Waughray April 2013 Capturing Caste in Law: The Legal Regulation of Caste and Caste-Based Discrimination Annapurna Deborah Waughray Abstract As a system of hereditary social stratification, caste is associated primarily with South Asia, particularly India, but it also exists in South Asian diaspora communities including in the United Kingdom. Discrimination based on caste affects around 167 million Dalits – formerly ‘Untouchables’ – in India alone. In the United Kingdom it is estimated that there are at least 200,000 people of Dalit origin, possibly many more. Government-commissioned research suggests strongly that discrimination and harassment based on caste also exist in this country. This thesis discusses the legal regulation of caste discrimination in India, in international human rights law and in the United Kingdom. In order to contribute to an understanding of how caste can be conceptualised legally and how caste discrimination can be regulated legally, the thesis examines how the concept of caste and the phenomenon of discrimination and inequality on grounds of caste have been defined, constructed and addressed by law. It traces the evolution of the religious, social and legal rationales for caste discrimination, and conversely the evolution of legal remedies for its elimination. Caste is a complex social phenomenon; this thesis explains and addresses the legal challenges of capturing caste in national and international law and examines the advantages and limitations of existing legal analyses and frameworks for tackling discrimination based on caste. In India, caste discrimination and inequality persist, despite constitutional and legislative measures for their elimination; this thesis examines why this is the case, identifies the lessons learned from India’s experience and suggests ways in which India could extend and improve its legal and policy responses to caste discrimination. International human rights law engagement with caste discrimination dates from the mid-1990s. The thesis explains and analyses the prohibition of caste discrimination in international human rights law and the reasons for and implications of the refusal by India, the world’s largest caste-affected country, to accept the conceptualisation of caste discrimination as a form of internationally-prohibited racial discrimination. Other international law approaches to caste discrimination (for example minority rights) are also considered and assessed. A particular focus of the research is the legal regulation of caste discrimination in the United Kingdom. Hence, the thesis undertakes a detailed analysis of the capacity of domestic discrimination law to capture caste. The Equality Act 2010 provides for the introduction, by ministerial order, of a statutory prohibition of caste discrimination by adding caste to the definition of the protected characteristic of race, but reservations have been raised about the appropriateness of legislating for caste discrimination, and as at 1 April 2013 no such order had been made. This thesis challenges the reservations to caste discrimination legislation. It explains why existing discrimination law is inadequate to capture caste, and it argues in favour of an express statutory prohibition of caste discrimination in national law, in accordance with the UK’s international human rights law obligations, as an essential – although not the sole – element of a strategy to tackle such discrimination. In doing so, the thesis also reveals the role and contribution of domestic grassroots activism in securing legal change. i Contents List of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………….....…x List of Treaties and Instruments……………………………………………………………....…........xiv Table of Legislation………………………...……………………………………………………........xvi Table of Cases and Decisions…………………………………………..…….....................................xix Acknowledgments………..……………………………………………………..……………..……...xxii Introduction………………………………..……………………………………………………....…....1 PART 1 Chapter 1 What is Caste? ...................................................................................................... 15 1.1 Introductory concepts .................................................................................................... 15 1.1.1 Context and terminology ............................................................................................... 15 1.1.1.1 Caste .............................................................................................................................. 16 1.1.1.2 Descent .......................................................................................................................... 17 1.1.2 Varna, Jati and Biraderi ................................................................................................. 17 1.1.2.1 Varna .............................................................................................................................. 17 1.1.2.2 Dalits: outside the varna system .................................................................................... 19 1.1.2.3 Use of Dalit in the thesis ................................................................................................ 20 1.1.2.4 Jati .................................................................................................................................. 21 1.1.2.5 Biraderi .......................................................................................................................... 22 1.1.3 Caste membership and mobility .................................................................................... 22 1.1.4 Untouchability ............................................................................................................... 23 1.1.4.1 Untouchability, pollution and stigma ............................................................................. 23 1.1.4.2 ‘Touch’ as a category ..................................................................................................... 25 1.1.4.3 Untouchability, social exclusion and violence ............................................................... 26 1.1.4.4 Untouchability as separable from caste ......................................................................... 27 1.1.4.5 Ambedkar, Untouchability, Hinduism and caste ........................................................... 28 1.1.5 Markers for caste ........................................................................................................... 29 1.1.6 Caste and occupation ..................................................................................................... 30 1.1.7 Caste and religion .......................................................................................................... 31 1.1.8 Status differences among Dalits .................................................................................... 33 1.1.9 Caste as a cross-cultural concept ................................................................................... 34 1.1.10 Caste in the diaspora ...................................................................................................... 36 1.2 Religious and historical origins of a caste society ......................................................... 36 1.2.1 Indo-Aryans, the Rg Veda and the origins of varna ...................................................... 36 1.2.1.1 Purusa-Sukta: the Creation Myth ................................................................................... 38 1.2.2 Origins of jati ................................................................................................................. 40 1.2.3 Hierarchy, heredity and endogamy ................................................................................ 41 1.2.4 Origin of Untouchability ................................................................................................ 42 ii 1.3 Sociological theories and interpretations of caste .......................................................... 43 1.3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 43 1.3.2 Colonialism and the origins of caste as a sociological concept ..................................... 44 1.3.3 Racial theories of caste .................................................................................................. 45 1.3.3.1 Caste and genetics .......................................................................................................... 47 1.3.4 Louis Dumont and his critics ......................................................................................... 48 1.3.5 Caste as orientalist invention ......................................................................................... 50 1.3.6 The ‘tenacity of caste’ .................................................................................................... 51 1.4 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 2 The Construction of Caste Inequality: A Religio-Legal History ................................ 54 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 54 2.2 The Vedic period (c
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Durham Research Online
    Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 05 August 2016 Version of attached le: Accepted Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Leante, Laura (2009) 'Urban Myth : bhangra and the dhol craze in the UK.', in Music in motion : diversity and dialogue in Europe. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, pp. 191-207. Further information on publisher's website: http://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-1074-1/ Publisher's copyright statement: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License. Additional information: Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk (revised version – November 2008) 1 “Urban myth”: bhangra and the dhol craze in the UK Bhangra is believed to have originated in western Punjab (in today’s Pakistan) as a rural male dance performed to the rhythm of the dhol, a large double-headed barrel drum, to celebrate the spring harvest.
    [Show full text]
  • E-Digest on Ambedkar's Appropriation by Hindutva Ideology
    Ambedkar’s Appropriation by Hindutva Ideology An E-Digest Compiled by Ram Puniyani (For Private Circulation) Center for Study of Society and Secularism & All India Secular Forum 602 & 603, New Silver Star, Behind BEST Bus Depot, Santacruz (E), Mumbai: - 400 055. E-mail: [email protected], www.csss-isla.com Page | 1 E-Digest - Ambedkar’s Appropriation by Hindutva Ideology Preface Many a debates are raging in various circles related to Ambedkar’s ideology. On one hand the RSS combine has been very active to prove that RSS ideology is close to Ambedkar’s ideology. In this direction RSS mouth pieces Organizer (English) and Panchjanya (Hindi) brought out special supplements on the occasion of anniversary of Ambedkar, praising him. This is very surprising as RSS is for Hindu nation while Ambedkar has pointed out that Hindu Raj will be the biggest calamity for dalits. The second debate is about Ambedkar-Gandhi. This came to forefront with Arundhati Roy’s introduction to Ambedkar’s ‘Annihilation of Caste’ published by Navayana. In her introduction ‘Doctor and the Saint’ Roy is critical of Gandhi’s various ideas. This digest brings together some of the essays and articles by various scholars-activists on the theme. Hope this will help us clarify the underlying issues. Ram Puniyani (All India Secular Forum) Mumbai June 2015 Page | 2 E-Digest - Ambedkar’s Appropriation by Hindutva Ideology Contents Page No. Section A Ambedkar’s Legacy and RSS Combine 1. Idolatry versus Ideology 05 By Divya Trivedi 2. Top RSS leader misquotes Ambedkar on Untouchability 09 By Vikas Pathak 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Volume 02 :: Issue 01 April 2021 A Global Journal ISSN 2639-4928 CASTE on Social Exclusion brandeis.edu/j-caste PERSPECTIVES ON EMANCIPATION EDITORIAL AND INTRODUCTION “I Can’t Breathe”: Perspectives on Emancipation from Caste Laurence Simon ARTICLES A Commentary on Ambedkar’s Posthumously Published Philosophy of Hinduism - Part II Rajesh Sampath Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents: A Historical Reflection on Two Cultures Ibrahim K. Sundiata Fracturing the Historical Continuity on Truth: Jotiba Phule in the Quest for Personhood of Shudras Snehashish Das Documenting a Caste: The Chakkiliyars in Colonial and Missionary Documents in India S. Gunasekaran Manual Scavenging in India: The Banality of an Everyday Crime Shiva Shankar and Kanthi Swaroop Hate Speech against Dalits on Social Media: Would a Penny Sparrow be Prosecuted in India for Online Hate Speech? Devanshu Sajlan Indian Media and Caste: of Politics, Portrayals and Beyond Pranjali Kureel ‘Ambedkar’s Constitution’: A Radical Phenomenon in Anti-Caste Discourse? Anurag Bhaskar, Bluestone Rising Scholar 2021 Award Caste-ing Space: Mapping the Dynamics of Untouchability in Rural Bihar, India Indulata Prasad, Bluestone Rising Scholar 2021 Award Caste, Reading-habits and the Incomplete Project of Indian Democracy Subro Saha, Bluestone Rising Scholar Honorable Mention 2021 Clearing of the Ground – Ambedkar’s Method of Reading Ankit Kawade, Bluestone Rising Scholar Honorable Mention 2021 Caste and Counselling Psychology in India: Dalit Perspectives in Theory and Practice Meena Sawariya, Bluestone Rising Scholar Honorable Mention 2021 FORUM Journey with Rural Identity and Linguicism Deepak Kumar Drawing on paper; 35x36 cm; Savi Sawarkar 35x36 cm; Savi on paper; Drawing CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT + SUSTAINABILITY THE HELLER SCHOOL AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY CASTE A GLOBAL JOURNAL ON SOCIAL EXCLUSION PERSPECTIVES ON EMANCIPATION VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 JOINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Laurence R.
    [Show full text]
  • Recasting Caste: Histories of Dalit Transnationalism and the Internationalization of Caste Discrimination
    Recasting Caste: Histories of Dalit Transnationalism and the Internationalization of Caste Discrimination by Purvi Mehta A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology and History) in the University of Michigan 2013 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Farina Mir, Chair Professor Pamela Ballinger Emeritus Professor David W. Cohen Associate Professor Matthew Hull Professor Mrinalini Sinha Dedication For my sister, Prapti Mehta ii Acknowledgements I thank the dalit activists that generously shared their work with me. These activists – including those at the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, Navsarjan Trust, and the National Federation of Dalit Women – gave time and energy to support me and my research in India. Thank you. The research for this dissertation was conducting with funding from Rackham Graduate School, the Eisenberg Center for Historical Studies, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, the Center for Comparative and International Studies, and the Nonprofit and Public Management Center. I thank these institutions for their support. I thank my dissertation committee at the University of Michigan for their years of guidance. My adviser, Farina Mir, supported every step of the process leading up to and including this dissertation. I thank her for her years of dedication and mentorship. Pamela Ballinger, David Cohen, Fernando Coronil, Matthew Hull, and Mrinalini Sinha posed challenging questions, offered analytical and conceptual clarity, and encouraged me to find my voice. I thank them for their intellectual generosity and commitment to me and my project. Diana Denney, Kathleen King, and Lorna Altstetter helped me navigate through graduate training.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam, Muslims, and the Coloniality of Being: Reframing the Debate on Race and Religion in Modernity
    Islam, Muslims, and the Coloniality of Being: Reframing the Debate on Race and Religion in Modernity Iskander Abbasi [email protected] I think (others do not think, or do not think properly), therefore I am (others are-not, lack being, should not exist or are dispensable) (Maldonado-Torres 2007:252) Abstract This article aims to more thoroughly intersect the figure of the Muslim into the framework of the coloniality of being, and into the narrative of race and religion in modernity. Two areas of concern are investigated: First, how Islamophobia aided in forming the coloniality of being in ways that decolo- nial scholarship – namely that of leading Latin American decolonial thinker, Nelson Maldonado-Torres – is seemingly unaware of or downplays, and second, how a rereading of a number of the key events and figures that define a decolonial discourse on race and religion, such as the Valladolid debates (1550-1551) and the figure of Christopher Columbus, help to more rigorously conceptualize the figure of the Muslim in relation to the coloniality of being. Keywords: Coloniality, decoloniality, Islam, Muslims, Islamophobia, onto- logy, critical Muslim studies, race, religion, modernity Introduction In his article, On the coloniality of being, Latin American decolonial thinker, Nelson Maldonado-Torres develops a framework for analyzing racial figures in modernity who have experienced what he describes as the darker side of being (Maldonado-Torres 2007:244). Maldonado-Torres theorizes a concept Journal for the Study of Religion 33, 2 (2020) 1 of 31 pages Online ISSN 2413-3027; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3027/2020/v33n2a4 Iskander Abbasi of ontology for racialized peoples in modernity that shows that there are those without ontology or, as he argues, they exist as non-beings and sub-human ‘Others’ who dwell in a ‘zone of nonbeing’ (Maldonado-Torres 2007:254).
    [Show full text]
  • CONTENTS Page Format of the Handbook 2 1. Examination
    CONTENTS Page Format of the Handbook 2 1. Examination Regulations 3 2. Introduction to the Final Honour School of History 13 3. Plagiarism 27 4. History of the British Isles 31 5. General History 43 6. Further Subjects 66 7. Special Subjects 151 8. Disciplines of History 260 9. The Compulsory Thesis 264 10. Criteria for Marking Examination Questions in History 286 11. Conduct of Examinations and Other Matters 288 12. Overlap 289 13. Criteria for Marking Theses and Extended Essays in History 290 14. Examination Conventions, Tariffs and Examiners Reports 293 15 The Joint Schools with History 296 16. Examination of Oxford Students on the Oxford-Princeton Exchange 297 17. Libraries 299 18. The History Faculty 302 19. Guidelines for Students with Disabilities 305 20. Feedback and Complaints Procedures 308 21. Languages for Historians 314 22. Information Technology 316 23. Prizes and Grants 318 24. Appendix: Members of the History Faculty who hold 323 teaching appointments in the University - 1 - Anything printed in bold in this handbook (other than chapter headings) is or has the status of a formal regulation. Ordinary print is used for descriptive and explanatory matter. Italics are used to give warning of particular points of which you should be aware. - 2 - 1. EXAMINATION REGULATIONS HONOUR SCHOOL OF HISTORY A. 1. The examination in the School of History shall be under the supervision of the Board of the Faculty of History, and shall always include: (1) The History of the British Isles (including the History of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; and of British India and of British Colonies and Dependencies as far as they are connected with the History of the British Isles); (2) General History during some period, selected by the candidate from periods to be named from time to time by the Board of the Faculty; (3) A Special Historical subject, carefully studied with reference to original authorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenist Mobilization
    INDIGENIST MOBILIZATION: ‘IDENTITY’ VERSUS ‘CLASS’ AFTER THE KERALA MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT? LUISA STEUR CEU eTD Collection PHD DISSERTATION DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY (BUDAPEST) 2011 CEU eTD Collection Cover photo: AGMS activist and Paniya workers at Aralam Farm, Kerala ( Luisa Steur, 2006) INDIGENIST MOBILIZATION: ‘IDENTITY’ VERSUS ‘CLASS’ AFTER THE KERALA MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT? by Luisa Steur Submitted to Central European University Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervisors: Professor Judit Bodnar Professor Prem Kumar Rajaram Budapest, Hungary CEU eTD Collection 2011 Statement STATEMENT I hereby state that this dissertation contains no materials accepted for any other degrees in any other institutions. The thesis contains no materials previously written and/or published by another person, except where appropriate acknowledgment is made in the form of bibliographical reference. Budapest, 2011. CEU eTD Collection Indigenist mobilization: ‘Identity’ versus ‘class’ after the Kerala model of development? i Abstract ABSTRACT This thesis analyses the recent rise of "adivasi" (indigenous/tribal) identity politics in the South Indian state of Kerala. It discusses the complex historical baggage and the political risks attached to the notion of "indigeneity" in Kerala and poses the question why despite its draw- backs, a notion of indigenous belonging came to replace the discourse of class as the primary framework through which adivasi workers now struggle for their rights. The thesis answers this question through an analysis of two inter-linked processes: firstly, the cyclical social movement dynamics of increasing disillusionment with - and distantiation from - the class-based platforms that led earlier struggles for emancipation but could not, once in government, structurally alter existing relations of power.
    [Show full text]
  • The Practice of the Peraktown Pindh in Community Identity Formation and Belonging in a Malaysian Sikh Diaspora
    Page 1 of 297 THE PRACTICE OF THE PERAKTOWN PINDH IN COMMUNITY IDENTITY FORMATION AND BELONGING IN A MALAYSIAN SIKH DIASPORA Narveen Kaur BA (Hons) Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy FEBRUARY 2015 Page 2 of 297 Abstract This research discusses the post-migration lived experience of the Peraktown Sikhs, a diaspora community of visible difference in the specific context of Malaysia. Using a qualitative case study methodology, I juxtaposed oral life history narratives and extensive interviews, memoirs and photographs, to study eighteen members of a total thirty-five Sikh families who lived in the multi-ethnic township I renamed Peraktown. Their narratives offer a loose historical chronology from the early 20th century to the 1970s of a diasporic group seeking to find home and a place to belong. Using a postcolonial lens, the research demonstrates the complex negotiation between inherited cultural traditions and the appropriation of colonial knowledge. It explores engagement and interaction with broader societal structures and dominant habitus within the rubric of identity construction, hybridity and the idea of home. My focus is the liminal generation, born prior to Indian and Malaysian independence, between 1915 and 1947. Framed in both the concept of diaspora as bounded space and the diaspora as a societal process, I co-opted a concept native to Sikhs, the Pindh, to understand and interrogate their unique understanding of identity, belonging and home. The Pindh or village incorporates relationships with the landscape and social structure in the construction of Sikh/Punjabi identification. In contrast to studies on Sikhs elsewhere, in Peraktown, the nostalgic attachment and identification with the physical spaces of their ancestral homeland and the meaning it imbued is accompanied by the appropriation of concepts and practices that sustain the idea of community belonging, bridging the divide of being at home both ‘here’ and ‘there’.
    [Show full text]
  • The Adab – 'Respect'
    The Adab – ‘Respect’ Programme: A Perspective on Muslim-Sikh Relations in the United Kingdom and Causes of Tensions and Mistrust between the two Communities www.faith-matters.org By Prof. Gurharpal Singh* Nadir Dinshaw Chair in Inter-Religious Relations, School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham _______________________________ I am grateful to following for their support in writing this report: Dr. Qadir Bakhsh, Prof. Yunus Samad, Prof. Tariq Madood, Prof. Muhammed Anwar, Dr Sophie Gulliat-Ray, and Fiyaz Mughal of Faith Matters. However, I alone am responsible for errors of fact or interpretation. Foreword Faith Matters has been working to ensure that Muslim and Sikh relations in the UK are strengthened and to highlight the fact that further work in this arena is needed. We are also committed to promoting the positive impacts that both communities have made in the UK and their shared histories within South Asia and in this country. However, where there are social tensions, it is important to discuss them openly and to look at constructive methods of getting both communities to find solutions. Also, increasingly, there is a collective amnesia within younger generations which reduces the awareness of the rich shared history of both communities within India and Pakistan and the Punjabi diaspora. A resetting of these narratives needs to take place. The history of Muslim and Sikh interaction has been difficult, yet enlightening and remarkable; it has supported nations and sometimes worked to divide them. Things are therefore not as simple or ‘black and white’ as some may want to portray the interaction.
    [Show full text]
  • Caste-Based Discrimination in International Human Rights Law
    CASTE-BASED DISCRIMINATION IN INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW Keane.indb 1 29/5/07 10:00:41 To Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1893–1956) Keane.indb 2 29/5/07 10:00:41 Caste-based Discrimination in International Human Rights Law DAVID KEANE Keane.indb 3 29/5/07 10:00:41 © David Keane 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. David Keane has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identi!ed as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Gower House Suite 420 Croft Road 101 Cherry Street Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405 Hampshire GU11 3HR USA England Ashgate website: http://www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ISBN Keane.indb 4 29/5/07 10:00:41 Contents List of Abbreviations vii List of Treaties and Instruments ix Table of Cases and Decisions xv Acknowledgments xvii About the Author xix Introduction 1 PART 1 1 The Origin of Caste 23 2 The Origin of Race 71 PART 2 3 The Indian Constitution and the Elimination of Caste-based Discrimination 117 4 The United Nations and the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 159 PART 3 5 A Legal History of Descent-based Discrimination 213 6 Enhancing Protection against Caste-based Discrimination 239 Conclusion 267 Bibliography 285 Index 297
    [Show full text]
  • Code-Switching in the Maintenance of Punjabi in the Lower Mainland
    CODE-SWITCHING IN THE MAINTENANCE OF PUNJABI IN THE LOWER MAINLAND by Jasmine Kaur Sandher A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2019 © Jasmine Kaur Sandher, 2019 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Code-Switching in the Maintenance of Punjabi in the Lower Mainland submitted by Jasmine Sandher in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In Asian Studies Examining Committee: Dr. Anne Murphy, Asian Studies Co-supervisor Dr. Ross King, Asian Studies Co-supervisor Sukwant Hundal, Asian Studies Additional Examiner ii Abstract Punjabi language is widely used throughout the Lower Mainland, BC. It is the third most spoken immigrant language after Mandarin and Cantonese. Although Canada’s Official Bilingualism policy promotes English and French as official languages, many accommodations are made for immigrant languages such as Punjabi. As a result, it continues to thrive. Due to the close proximity of the two languages, Punjabi commonly makes use of English through code-switching. The use of code-switching is looked at in this thesis through an analysis of Lower Mainland radio and Bhangra music. The data for this project has been collected through listening to and transcribing radio segments and music lyrics. The data utilized was collected from two programs, Roshni and Punjabi Takeover, which both air on RED FM, a Surrey based Punjabi radio station.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi Cultural Information File
    Version 1 Last Revision Date 2007 Multi Cultural Information File DOCUMENT CONTROL POLICY NAME Multi Cultural Information File Department Human Resources Telephone Number 01443 424075 Initial Policy Launch Date 2007 Reviewing Officer Dilys Jouvenat Review Date Date of Equality Impact N/A Assessment REVISION HISTORY Date Revised By 2007 Dilys Jouvenat DOCUMENT APPROVAL This document has received approval from: Date of Approval HR Senior Management Team Corporate Management Team Cabinet CONTENTS Introduction.................................................................................................................1 Understanding Differences – Do’s & Don’ts ...............................................................3 Do ...........................................................................................................................3 Don’t .......................................................................................................................4 Census 2001 ..............................................................................................................5 Words and Terminology .............................................................................................6 Glossary of Language & Terms..................................................................................7 Access ....................................................................................................................7 Adverse Impact.......................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]