CULTURAL IDENTITY & IDEOLOGY - I
BELIEFS & SOCIAL CUSTOMS
TMYS Review June 2022 (Registrations closed)
in collaboration with
. University of Victoria
For the year 2022-23 TMYS Review will be working on the theme of CULTURAL IDENTITY & IDEOLOGY.
Under this context, TMYS Review June 2022 will explore BELIEFS & SOCIAL CUSTOMS, focussing on three sub-themes:
(i) Superstitions in the Tradition and Practices of Communities.
(ii) Festivities and Ritualistic Practices
(iii) Sports and Recreation
Call for Submissions
Stories, Poems and Essays on
BELIEFS & SOCIAL CUSTOMS shaping CULTURAL IDENTITY & IDEOLOGY
Based on any of the three sub-themes defined above.
INTRODUCTION
Cultural identity is central to human existence. It comes with a set sense of one’s own culture which includes one’s heritage, traditions, beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, class structure and many more. Thus, culture has often been seen as a fixed set of traditions that is handed on to the next generation. In this process the dynamic nature of culture is often ignored, the way in which it is embedded in lived experience, and the fact that it is always contested is ignored.
In Culture and Society, Raymond Williams traces the evolving nature of culture over two centuries, how culture adapts to industrialization and to the growth of democracy, leading to massive transformation in everyday lives. Owing to contemporary living style, ‘a new kind of human being’ has learned to adopt, adapt and assimilate to different cultural identities. In fact, the autonomy of ‘organic’ culture is threatened by the birth of sub-cultures and mixed cultures or rather ‘expanding culture.’ As the world is becoming more cosmopolitan in origin, there may be a debate on the role of cultural identity and ideologies that are practised by different cultures across the globe. Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the impact of culture on an individual. Beliefs and social customs are parts of any culture. These beliefs and customs which range from festivities, superstitions, recreational activities, literary activities have often been practised since time immemorial.
TMYS Review June 2022, under the current theme of Cultural Identity and Ideology, seeks to explore and understand different cultural identities and from the perspective of Beliefs and Social Customs with focus on three sub themes, namely
(i) Superstitions in the Traditions and Practices of Communities
(ii)Festivities and Ritualistic Practices
(iii) Sports and Recreation
Under the scope of the project, we have organized PANEL DISCUSSIONS (listed below) with global thought leaders who have served as witnesses to, or have worked extensively on such issues falling under the three sub-themes listed above. The esteemed speakers include senior scholars, professors, researchers, journalists, lawyers, authors and other professionals who have minutely studied the sub-themes and have significant experience to share. This project endeavours to add to the existing body of study materials on this subject, from the contemporary perspective.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
1. Youth engagement with a network of entities that have researched or contributed towards exposing the hidden and/or understanding the complicated dimensions of the theme (and sub-themes).
2. To curate critical insights for global learning and inspiration on the social, political and personal dynamics of specific and general Beliefs & Social Customs shaping Cultural Identity & Ideology.
3. Invite attention towards the historical and contemporary practices that have influenced generations, impacted the society, the economy, the present and future of countries.
THE PROJECT ARCHITECTURE:
1. TMYS Review June 2022 invites essays, short stories or poems on the mentioned theme; the submission must cater to one of the sub-themes.
2. Solo and panel discussions on the sub-themes will be hosted live on TMYS social media.
Please scroll below to DIGITAL CONVERSATIONS for the titles and the delegate speakers.
3. Submissions citing one or more discussions from the DIGITAL CONVERSATION/S for information and inputs will carry additional weightage.
4. A selection of short stories, essays and poems will be published in TMYS Review June 2022 (ebook and paperback). Editor's decision will be final.
5. The compilation of TMYS Review June 2022 will reach all the delegate speakers engaged in the project and will also reach the digital libraries of the colleges/universities through the professors/scholars.
6. Selected contributors will be notified via email. Excerpts from the selected stories and essays will be highlighted on social media in June/July 2022. Other than sending email intimations, all winners will be announced in June 2022 on the social media handles of TMYS: Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram.
7. Three winning contributions will receive a Certificate/Letter of Excellence from the Global South Colloquium, University of Victoria.
8. Two selected contributors will be in a digital panel with Dr. Neilesh Bose, Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair(History), Chair for the Global South Colloquium, University of Victoria, to discuss Research & Writing on Beliefs & Social Customs.
The Global South Colloquium series centres the Global South into ongoing conversations about the making of the modern world, posing the Global South as a starting point for discussions about the world-system, its contours, inequities, and sources of power, not organized by geography but placement within global histories and practices.
Says Dr. Neilesh Bose - Canada Research Chair, Global & Comparative History, University of Victoria,"As a historian of globalization as well as a historian of South Asia and its diasporas, I eagerly look forward to engagement with topic of Forced Migration from the widest and most comprehensive analytical angles as possible, from the intensely localized vantage points of lived experiences to large-scale dimensions of war, displacement, disease, and conflict."
THE DIGITAL CONVERSATIONS
TMYS Facebook LIVE with global thought-leaders. Topics and speakers are listed below.
(I) SUPERSTITIONS IN THE TRADITION AND PRACTICES OF COMMUNITIES.
a. Paranormal & Urban legends and related superstitions
Superstitions rooted in Paranormal and urban legends and myths which have influenced social behaviour and hence, community identity.
SPEAKERS: Neil D'Silva Abhirup Dhar Aparajita Hazra
Date/Time: 21 February 8pm IST
b. Science behind age old superstitions and customs in India
Indian practices contributing to the bag of traditional and cultural knowledge, often originating from observation and life learning.
SPEAKERS: Michael Baltutis Surekha Chukkali Gauhar Raza
Date/Time: 27 February 8pm IST - 8.30am Oshkosh (USA)
c. Superstitions defining religion, community and individual identity
Superstitions that are personal to self or a family, to a religious sect or geographic zone, binding communities through the common following.
SPEAKERS: Scott Hendrix R.Mahalaxmi Sydney Chinchanachokchai
Date/Time: 15 April 8pm IST, 8.30 am Waukesha (USA), 9.30 am Akron (USA)
d. Gender biased superstitions
Women are believed to be more superstitious. Culturally and historically, many social superstitious customs have been forced upon women.
SPEAKERS: Samita Sen Keerthi Bollineni Patralekha Chatterjee
Date/Time: 20 March 8pm IST
e. Superstitions and Modernity
Superstitions vis-a-vis modern practices based on science, reason or logic, relaxing social and religious compulsions .
SPEAKERS: William Earl Burns Sanchaiyata Majumdar Dr. Anway Mukhopadhyay
Date/Time: 2 April, 8pm IST. 8.30am Washington DC (USA).
(II) FESTIVITIES AND RITUALISTIC PRACTICES
a. Marginalized Communities and the Mainstream Festivals.
The discrimination, power politics, and ostracism faced by the minorities and neglected communities.
SPEAKERS: Hindol Sengupta Gaurav Pathania Beth Perry
Date/Time: 8 April 8 pm IST, 9.30 in Virginia, 2.30 pm in UK
b. Gender Inequality in Ritualistic Practices.
Difference in the roles of men and women: labour by women but performative roles for men.
SPEAKERS: Nandini Sarkar Piyali Mitra Sharbani Banerjee
Date/Time: 3 April 8pm IST
Rituals/practices that are violent in nature - causing discomfort, disrupting harmony and/or promoting cruelty, both ethically and legally.
SPEAKERS: Debasish Bandopadhyay Mark Juergensmeyer Xenia Zeiler
Date/Time: 25 March 8.30pm IST, 7am in California, 5pm in Finland
d. Festive Rituals and Compulsions.
Associating identity with religious obsession to the point of taking dangerous actions like sacrificing lives, mutilation, honour-killing, black magic, etc.
SPEAKERS: Danielle Boaz Mikel Burley Jo Ann Scurlock
Date/Time: 10 April. 8pm IST, 8.30 am Chicago, 2.30 pm UK, 9.30am Charlotte
e. Effect of Ritualistic Practices on the Environment.
Festive/religious rituals impacting the environment, adding fuel to the existential crisis.
SPEAKERS: Sarah Pike Bron Taylor Kimberly A Carfore
Date/Time: 13 April 8.30 pm IST, 7 am in California, 10 am in Florida
(III) SPORTS AND RECREATION
a. Culture, Tradition and Sports
The embracing of various social, cultural and traditional differences of communities at large through participation in sports.
SPEAKERS: David Rowe Kausik Bandyopadhyay
Date/Time: 6March 2pm IST, 7pm AEST
b. Importance of Recreational Sports as Mode of Relaxation
Sports activities during leisure and their impact on well-being.
SPEAKERS: Souvik Naha Nikhil Naz Brenda Rossow Kimball
Date/Time: 18 March 7:30 p.m. IST; 8:00 am CST
c. Keeping Youth in Play: Sports and Juvenile Delinquency
Addressing various youth issues through sports and enchaining the psycho-social health benefits in adolescents.
SPEAKERS: Dawn Anderson-Butcher June LeDrew Dev Nath Pathak
Date/Time: 14 March 7:30 p.m. IST. 9:00 am EST. 8:00 am CST
d. Establishing Community Identity through Sports
Overcoming personal differences, prejudices, stereotypes, ignorance, intolerance, discrimination. Establishing team identity over individual bias.
SPEAKERS: Sourav Banerjee Gerald R. Gems Paul Whitinui
Date/Time: 10 March 8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am EST, 7am PST
e. Pandemic within a Pandemic- Effects of COVID-19 on Sports
Impact on the global sports ecosystem affecting the mental health of athletes as well as influencing the relationship between the sports personas and the audience.
SPEAKERS: Andrew Edgar Vineet Malhotra Elizabeth Pike
Date/Time: 22 March 7:30 pm IST; 2:00 pm GMT
f. Weaving the Magic through Sports in Fiction: Literature and Films
Inter-connection and fraternity-feeling between Creative Arts, Sports and Pop Culture.
SPEAKERS: Coonoor Kripalani Philip Wedge
Date/Time: 2 March 7.30pm IST. 2pm (Ireland), 10pm (Singapore), 8am CST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
1. TMYS Review invites short stories, poems or essays on the above-mentioned theme. All submissions to TMYS Review that do not follow the guidelines will be rejected.
2. The submissions MUST justify either or more of the sub-themes mentioned above. The content doesn't need to restrict to Indian situations. We welcome contributions on and from other parts of the world.
3. Selected submissions will be published in TMYS Review June 2022 (ebook and paperback).
4. The contributors are free to refer to our digital conversations with the delegates (details above). At the end of the submission files, the citation must mention the referred talks if consulted.
(Submissions with such citations will carry greater weightage for selection/recognition.)
5. The short stories could be fiction or nonfiction, 1200-2000 words.
The essays should be 2500-3000 words. Essay submissions should be accompanied by an Abstract (no more than 300 words). Works cited in essays should follow MLA8 format.
Submission upto 5 poems will be accepted against each registration.
6. Last date of submission: 30 April 2022
7. All submissions should be accompanied with the bio-brief (around 150 words, written in third person) and photograph of the author. Mentioning the social media links (Facebook/Linkedin/Twitter/Instagram) of the contributors in the email body is encouraged; it will help us to tag when we promote the submissions.
8. All submissions should be word files, attached and emailed to tmysreview@gmail.com; while making a submission, mention in the subject line <the title of the essay/story/poem, name of the delegate speaker in citation (if it applies) and June 2022.
9. All submissions should use Calibri/Times New Roman, font size 12; font size 16 for headings and font size 14 for sub headings if any. Line spacing : 1.5.
10. Only original and previously unpublished work will be considered.
11. A participation fee of INR 200/- (USD 4 for contributors outside India) will be charged per contribution.
This is a non-refundable fee, but we will do our best to cooperate in case you have made an error that can be corrected to help you resubmit. In each such case, our decision will be final.
Tell Me Your Story OPC Pvt. Ltd.
A/c no : 059685800000177, Yes Bank. Branch - Shankardhan Plaza Junction, MM Road, Mulund West, Mumbai 400080, IFS Code : YESB0000596.
Contributors outside India can send us an email and we shall raise a Paypal link for them.
Post making the payment, please send a mail at tmysreview@gmail.com to register yourself.
***Registration doesn't guarantee publication***
12. Simultaneous/multiple submissions are accepted, with the same fee for each submission.
13. Decision of the Project Delegate/s, the Project Team and the Editors will be final.
14. Contact for Queries : write QUERIES in subject line and send us an email at tmysreview@gmail.com; we apologise in advance for not responding to obvious or irrelevant queries.
PROJECT TEAM