Papers by ANKIT ANKIT
Asian Ethnicity, 2024
Cross-regional marriages in rural Haryana, driven by skewed sex ratios, have led to a pattern whe... more Cross-regional marriages in rural Haryana, driven by skewed sex ratios, have led to a pattern where women from distant regions and diverse cultural backgrounds, such as ethnic Assamese, Bengalis, or Biharis, are married into local Haryanvi families. This practice echoes broader trends witnessed across East and Southeast Asia. Transcending traditional notions of the family as a culturally sanctioned social network centred on biological and matrimonial ties, these cross-regional unions challenge conventional norms and societal fabric. This paper contends that the marginalization and stigma experienced by these migrant brides severely undermine their children's future opportunities. Through semi-structured interviews with 24 migrant brides, the study identifies significant concerns related to their children's educational attainment, social acceptance, marriage prospects, mental well-being, socialization, and overall life potential. The findings indicate that these children face substantial barriers to realizing their full potential due to inadequate familial support and pervasive societal biases.
Journal of Comparative Social Work, 2023
This paper makes a case for Gram Panchayats (or local self-governments) in rural Haryana to preve... more This paper makes a case for Gram Panchayats (or local self-governments) in rural Haryana to prevent violence and abuse against women in cross-regional marriages, and to promote inclusiveness. By using the notion of decentralization as the framework, the results of this research are based on a qualitative fieldwork conducted over two months in the Mahendragarh district, which included visits to seven villages, and interviews with women and village leaders. This paper attempts to answer the following research question: In what ways can strong local self-governments improve the social conditions for women and their children in cross-regional marriages in rural Haryana? Gram Panchayats are tasked with implementing Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which calls for developing inclusive and peaceful communities, ensuring that everyone has access to justice, and creating effective, inclusive institutions at all levels. The findings reveal that women, particularly those in cross-region marriages, are excluded from participating in Gram Panchayats, which have the potential to be the go-to institution for women in need of help. Women's participation at all levels will increase the transparency and accountability of Gram Panchayats.
Fabrica Societatis, 2022
Haryana, in northern India, has a long history of a low female ratio and a gender regressive soci... more Haryana, in northern India, has a long history of a low female ratio and a gender regressive society. Men began to find it difficult to marry locally and hence brought wives from poor and distant locations. Cross-region marriages cross the customary barriers of village exogamy (marriage beyond one's own village), caste endogamy (marriage within the caste), language, class, and culture, and may necessitate a significant distance within India. They are arranged marriages that do not arise by the agency of persons brought together by the marriage, i.e., these are not love marriages. They entirely remove a woman from her family, geographical, linguistic, and cultural settings. In such marriages, the weight of adjustment falls entirely on the women, and society does not appear to 'accept' them as their own. There is a notable scarcity of writing on the children of such marriages. As the number of these marriages grows, it becomes vital to provide fresh scientific study evidence on the status of all these children by employing new and untested research techniques, concepts, and geographies. Presenting a thorough literature review and listing the research gaps identified by the researchers, this paper suggests conducting biographical research on adult children of cross-region marriages in southern Haryana's Mahendragarh district for a variety of reasons. Keywords cross-region marriages, women, adult children, Haryana, Mahendragarh Fabrica Societatis Ankit dostarczenie dowodów dotyczących statusu tych małżeństw i ich dzieci przez badania naukowe, wykorzystujące nowe techniki badawcze i koncepty. Na podstawie przeglądu literatury i listy luk badawczych, zidentyfikowanych przez innych badaczy, autor artykułu sugeruje przeprowadzenie badań biograficznych na dorosłych dzieciach małżeństw międzyregionalnych w południowym dystrykcie stanu Haryana-Mahendragarh.
Book Reviews by ANKIT ANKIT
Review of Development and Change, 2023
How can a historic constitutional amendment that focuses on the frequently 'neglected' half of so... more How can a historic constitutional amendment that focuses on the frequently 'neglected' half of society be understood in terms of its nature and efficacy? Pamela Singla, a renowned academic in gender studies from the University of Delhi, attempted to provide readers with an empirical response to the above question in her book Women's Participation in Panchayati Raj. The amendment in question is the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992, which altered the Indian constitution to create a three-tiered system of panchayats (or local self-governments) and reserve onethird of seats for women at every level of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), in both reserved and non-reserved categories. For the Indian government, the amendment represented a significant accomplishment. After the amendment, women who had never been a considerable part of India's long-standing panchayat system began to play a significant role (at least in terms of numbers!) in the PRIs. The author examined women's participation in PRIs using the case of Haryana-Gurgaon district, in particular-a northern state notorious for its skewed sex ratio in favour of men and for social structures that enforce women to remain within the four walls of their homes. Her integration of an investigation into empirical and observational field realities is excellent. This book, published in 2007, is still a great resource to comprehend the phenomenon of women's increasing participation in decisionmaking at the local/village level. To paint a precise picture of the discussions of this book, Pamela Singla has explained each step in detail. She sets the tone of the book right from the start. Singla begins with a succinct introduction to the status of women in politics in general before narrowing it down to the Indian institution of panchayats. She claims that few studies have analysed the nature and efficacy of the participation of elected women members in decision-making, which is influenced by various sociocultural factors beyond the criterion of attendance. The conceptual framework for her research is, thus, the participation of elected women members in decision-making. Singla then addresses the problems and worries that Indian women face in the following chapter, observing that women who had initially opposed reservations for women's participation in decision-making have now come around to supporting reservations themselves. It all began with the 1974 publication of the status report
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Papers by ANKIT ANKIT
Book Reviews by ANKIT ANKIT