ASST 318
Law and Family in South Asia: Post-Colonial Dilemmas Fall 2014
Division II
Cross-listed INST 220 / ANTH 220
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

The American press frequently depicts countries like India and Pakistan as in the grip of lawless, anachronistic beliefs about how to organize family life. Such beliefs are blamed for “tribal” violence in Pakistan’s Frontier Regions, for dowry disputes in north India and for the persistence of corrupt dynasties in leading political parties. Yet these beliefs and practices aren’t in fact old-fashioned or lawless, and many of them result from South Asia’s unique historical position as a former British colony. In this class, we will use ethnographic and historical research to examine what law and kinship can teach us about how the past shapes the present in post-colonial South Asia. In particular, we’ll examine how a perspective that seriously considers law and kinship can help us better understand contemporary dilemmas in South Asia, ranging from controversy over women¿s right to inherit property, to the role of caste in contemporary democratic politics. The course is organized into three sections. First, we will discuss kinship, reading classic theories of kinship in the region, as well as critiques of those theories, and ending with a contemporary dilemma, the problem of dowry “pressure”. Next, we learn about how family relationships were codified legally, and how laws were shaped to respond to perceived family “traditions,” in colonial and post-colonial South Asia. Finally, we will look at specific topics concerning law and kinship. As we do so, we will move from reading ethnographies to producing our own ethnographic observations using film, news stories and first-hand accounts as our primary materials. No prior knowledge about South Asia is necessary.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 2012
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: 2 5-page assignments; 1 research assignment (10 pages)
Prerequisites: none; open to first year students
Enrollment Preferences: Anth/Soc majors; students in Asia Studies or International Studies with committed interest in South Asian studies
Distributions: Division II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
INST 220 Division II ASST 318 Division II ANTH 220 Division II
Attributes: JLST Interdepartmental Electives

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