South Asia South Asia Fig 12 1 Globalization

South Asia

South Asia (Fig. 12. 1) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 2

Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region � South Asia Before British Conquest �During the 1500 s most of region was under the Mughal Empire �European merchants established coastal trading posts �By 1700 s the empire weakened and contending states emerged �The British East India Company gain control by 1757 -1857 that last more than 90 years Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 3

Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region Cont. ◦ The British Conquest �British East India Company – a private organization acted as an arm of the British government and monopolized trade �Exploited political chaos to stake empire �Support Mutiny (1856) led to South Asia being ruled directly by the British �Hindu and Muslim rulers retained their states under British rule

South Asia Before and After Independence in 1947 (cont. ) ◦ Independence and Partition �By the 1920 s political protestors called for independence �Gandhi favored a unified state, while Muslim leaders argued for a division �Post World War II partitioning �India, East and West Pakistan � 1971: Bangladesh independence Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 5

South Asia Before and After Independence in 1947 (cont. ) ◦ Geopolitical Structure of India � India organized as a federal state � Individual states retain significant power � Following linguistic patterns

INDIA & PAKISTAN (AT PARTITION) Kashmir -disputed India West Pakistan East Pakistan (Bangladesh) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 7

Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region (cont. ) �International and Global Geopolitics � Cold war between India and Pakistan � Nuclear capabilities of both countries escalated tensions � China allied with Pakistan (China -India border conflict) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 8

Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region (cont. ) � Terrorist attacks of September 11 th complicated matters � Pakistani had supported Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, now helps U. S. � Marxist rebel movement against India in Nepal

Economic and Social Development: Burdened by Poverty �South Asian Poverty �More than 300 million Indian citizens are below their country’s poverty line, and Bangladesh is poorer �Nepal and Bhutan are in worse condition �India has a growing middle class, and an upper class �The Himalayan Countries �Rugged terrain and isolation in Nepal and Bhutan are a disadvantage Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 10

Economic and Social Development: Burdened by Poverty (cont. ) � Geographies of Economic Development ◦ Bangladesh �Poorest country in the region �Heavy reliance on production of commercial crops �Environmental degradation has contributed to poverty �Internationally competitive in textile and clothing manufacturing Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 11

Cultural Coherence and Diversity �Since its inception in 1948, India has been a secular state �Growth of Hindu nationalism: movement promoting Hindu values as essential and exclusive fabric of Indian society �Origins of South Asian Civilizations Religions ◦ Hindu Civilization �Hinduism: a complicated faith without a single, uniformly accepted system of belief �Sanskrit: language of first Aryans �Caste system: strict division of Hindu society into ranked hereditary groups 12

Aryan Migration § pastoral depended on their cattle. § warriors horse-drawn chariots.

Varna (Social Hierarchy) Lords and Nobles Priests Warriors Working class Untouchables

Sanskrit writing

The Vedas § 1200 BCE-600 BCE. § written in SANSKRIT. § Hindu core of beliefs: Rig Veda oldest work. Ø hymns and poems. Ø religious prayers. Ø magical spells. Ø lists of the gods and goddesses.

Hinduism � �Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that started in India. �Sacred �There Texts: Vedas is no single founder of the religion. ◦ Hindu beliefs are a combination of the beliefs of the early Indus Valley people and the Aryans that migrated into India around 1500 BC and 500 BC.

Hindu Gods Hindus believe in many gods; gods can be in many forms, including animals and humans; � Polytheistic: �Brahma - the Creator �Vishnu - the Preserver �Shiva - the Destroyer

The Caste System WHO IS… Brahmins Kshatriyas § The mouth? § The arms? Vaishyas § The legs? § The feet? JATI Shudras

Main Beliefs of Hinduism � Reincarnation: after death, souls are reborn into another form; reincarnation is determined by karma and dharma;

Main Beliefs of Hinduism �Karma: �all the actions of a person's life that affects his or her fate in the next life; ◦ People who earn a good karma are reborn at a higher level of existence;

Main Beliefs of Hinduism �Dharma: �the religious and moral duties of an individual; duties vary according to class, occupation, gender or age; ◦ by obeying one's dharma, a person acquires merit for the next life

Karma = actions Dharma = duties

Sacred Animals / Rivers: � � cows, elephants and other animals are viewed as sacred; the Ganges River is the most sacred river to Hindus;

Hinduism- Festival Red powder coast the face of an Indian boy during the Festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. The Festival celebrates the birth of Ganesh, an elephantheaded Hindu God

Cultural Coherence and Diversity: Cont. ◦ Buddhism Ø Ø �Siddhartha Gautama (563 B. C. ), the Buddha �Sought to attain mystical union with the universe Born in NE India (Nepal) and Raised in great luxury to be a king. At 29 he rejected his luxurious life to seek enlightenment and the source of suffering. Lived a strict life Rejecting this extreme, sat in meditation, and found nirvana. Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff 26

Buddhism in the Subcontinent

Main Beliefs of Buddhism � � � Four Noble Truths = Life is full of suffering Suffering is caused by desire Eliminate suffering by eliminating desire Eliminate desire by following the Eightfold Path / Middle Way

What is the fundamental cause of all suffering? Desire! Ø Therefore, extinguish the self, don’t obsess about oneself.

Four Noble Truths 1. There is suffering in the world. To live is to suffer. (Dukkha) § The Buddha found this out when he was young and experienced suffering and death in others.

Four Noble Truths 2. The cause of suffering is selfcentered desire and attachments. (Tanha)

Four Noble Truths 3. The solution is to eliminate desire and attachments. (Nirvana = “extinction”)

Four Noble Truths 4. To reach nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold Path Nirvana Ø The union with the ultimate spiritual reality. Ø Escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Cultural Coherence and Diversity: Cont. ◦ Arrival of Islam �Around 700 A. D. Arab armies conquered lower Indus Valley �Mughal Empire, a powerful Muslim state, dominated �Conversion in northwest (Pakistan) and Northeast (Bangladesh)