PANEL ORGAN - KIIT University

from China. Within an ethnographic approach I explore the identity stories of the children
and their families. Using examples from this research, I argue that current ethical
principles built upon autonomy can inhibit the capacity for a broader approach
encompassed by the notion of an ethic of care. The pursuit of autonomy inhibits
recognition of interdependencies and complex social relations in which children are not
only situated but successfully negotiate. My proposed approach moves researchers beyond
compliance with abstract principles and requires us to accommodate the context specific
relationships in the locations in which we seek to hear children’s voices.
PANEL-07(A): GROWING UP: HOW GENDER PRAXIS PLAYS A ROLE
26 th November, 2012 Time: 14.00-16.30hrs Hall No.:
PANEL ORGANIZER
MARAK, Quinbala R, Department of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong-
793022, Meghalaya, INDIA, E-mail:
PANEL ABSTRACT
Not only does the sex of an unborn child an event of great anticipation to parents,
relatives and society at large, but also leads to many gendered situations in the postdelivery
and growing-up years. Once the amorphous fetus gains the status of either gender
(or the third), societal customs take place. These are unwritten and many times unspoken
norms and a result of socialization. Studies have revealed that a son in many societies
enjoys preferential treatment in upbringing and in later life in comparison to a daughter.
In dominant patriarchal societies a daughter is neglected on several occasions. A couple of
studies in matrilineal societies show a slight variation from the above situation.
PAPER PRESENTERS
DAS, Mitoo, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India, E-mail:
The Politics of Socialization at Menarche
My paper looks into the girl child in Assamese Hindu society from the context of
menstruation as a social construct. In Assam, the biological process of menarche is taken
over by the complex cultural performance of rituals, rules and restrictions, the moment a
girl attains it. In this discussion I attempt to look into the process of socialization of the
girl child which creates a gendered identity via the sociological interpretation of
menarche. Through this process, a young girl child is ingrained with ideas of how she is to
proceed through different stages of life, the admission to menstrual rituals, being one of
them, where her feminine consciousness is built. With the help of specific examples, I
delve into how this unique socialization process as a complete training programme in the
expected subtleties of femininity produces many subtle distinctions, the main being a
separate and inferior identity from that of a man.
SEWA, Utpala, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya, India, E-mail:
Traditional versus Contemporary Societal Influence on the Gurung Girl-child’s Self
Image and Role Expectation
Gender is as much a societal construct as it is biologically determined. Many influences
operate on the minor girl-child to inculcate and develop a sense of self and her role in
the family and the society. My paper will make a comparative study of two very different