The Shamayita Math Project ‐ There and back again ‐ Group Members: Aksel Nok Leth, Alan Patrick Kernahan Andersen, Anders Colstrup Hvass, Zachary Rune Dyrbye, Manus Bell and Marcus Egholm Supervisor: Michael Svendsen Pedersen Group 19, HIB 3.1.2, 2nd Semester, 2014 Number of Characters: 159.222 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Abstract This project is an investigation into the Life Worlds of the students at the Shamayita Math Convent School in West Bengal, India. The convent school was founded on the idea of empowering women through education, in accordance with the Philosophies of the schools spiritual leader, Sri Sri Prabhuji. However, the school is subject to the national discourse through the curriculum and what we want to investigate is how these discourses influence the girls Life Worlds, their perception of their everyday life. The national discourse is subject to the Global Flows, which influence it. We hypothesise that their life worlds are created through a combination of the girls Inner‐ and Outer Worlds. In short, the Outer World is what influences the girls from an external point and the Inner World is their Life World from their own perspective. Our aim was to analyse this through the use of qualitative interviews, conducted on location in India, which will then be analysed through the use of several different theories, concerning identity, through the combining method of Bricolage. The results of the interviews will be discussed in relation to their Outer Worlds to determine what the discourses are. Our investigation brings us to the conclusion that the impact of various discourses in the students’ social spheres creates a very complex process of individuation in which they must make sense of themselves. 2 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Table of Contents Abstract......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Problem Formulation............................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: Theory...................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Introduction to Theory ................................................................................................................................ 8 2.2 Comparative sociology .............................................................................................................................. 10 2.3 The process of Individualization................................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Dual‐ and multilateral socialization........................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3: Methods................................................................................................................................ 16 3.1 The Qualitative Methods of the Project.................................................................................................... 16 3.2 The Social Constructionist Approach ........................................................................................................ 17 3.3 Phenomenological Analyses...................................................................................................................... 18 3.4 The Empirical Method ............................................................................................................................... 20 3.5 The ‘Maps’ ‐ Creating the Framework....................................................................................................... 21 3.6 Pilot informant .......................................................................................................................................... 24 3.7 Individual Interviews ................................................................................................................................. 24 3.8 Interview with Teachers and ‘Mothers’ .................................................................................................... 26 3.9 Analytic approaches .................................................................................................................................. 27 3.9.1 Maps................................................................................................................................................... 27 3.9.2 Individual Interviews .......................................................................................................................... 27 3.9.3 Bricolage............................................................................................................................................. 27 3.9.4 Ethnography ....................................................................................................................................... 28 3.10 Pitfalls...................................................................................................................................................... 28 3.10.1 Ethnographical Pitfalls ..................................................................................................................... 28 3.10.2 Methodological Pitfalls..................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 4: The Outer World................................................................................................................ 30 4.1 The CBSE Curriculum ................................................................................................................................. 30 4.2 Ethnography .............................................................................................................................................. 33 4.2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................ 33 4.2.2 Politics ................................................................................................................................................ 34 4.2.3 Climate ............................................................................................................................................... 35 4.2.4 Shamayita Math................................................................................................................................. 36 4.2.5 Shamayita Convent School ................................................................................................................. 37 4.2.6 Creativity Class ................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.7 Life Lesson Class ................................................................................................................................. 38 3 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 4.2.8 Other Educational Institutions............................................................................................................ 40 4.2.9 Healthcare .......................................................................................................................................... 41 4.2.10 Surroundings .................................................................................................................................... 43 4.2.11 Prabhuji ............................................................................................................................................ 44 4.2.12 The Mothers ..................................................................................................................................... 46 4.2.13 Religion............................................................................................................................................. 47 4.3 Influences of the Outer World .................................................................................................................. 49 4.3.1 The Effect of the CBSE Curriculum ...................................................................................................... 49 4.3.2 Authoritative Figures of Importance .................................................................................................. 51 Chapter 5: Inner World......................................................................................................................... 52 5.1 Phenomenological Analysis....................................................................................................................... 52 5.2 Pilot Interview Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 54 5.3 Summary Pilot Interview ........................................................................................................................... 64 5.4 Remaining Interview Analysis ................................................................................................................... 65 5.4.1 Summary SB1 Interview...................................................................................................................... 65 5.4.2 Summary RM2 Interview .................................................................................................................... 66 5.5 Thematizing............................................................................................................................................... 67 5.5.1 Education............................................................................................................................................ 67 5.5.2 Spiritualism......................................................................................................................................... 68 5.5.3 Aspirations within the society ............................................................................................................ 69 5.5.4 Traditions ........................................................................................................................................... 70 Chapter 6: Theoretical Discussion.................................................................................................... 71 6.1 Comparative Sociology.............................................................................................................................. 72 6.2 Social Constructionism .............................................................................................................................. 74 6.3 Dencik........................................................................................................................................................ 75 6.4 The Socialisation of the Pilot Informant.................................................................................................... 77 6.5 The Socialisation of Informant 1 ............................................................................................................... 79 6.6 Summation ................................................................................................................................................ 81 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 81 Comments on literature ....................................................................................................................... 83 Glossary ..................................................................................................................................................... 84 Bibliography............................................................................................................................................. 86 Books & Articles: ............................................................................................................................................. 86 E‐books & Links ............................................................................................................................................... 87 4 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Problem Formulation To what extent does the clash between global and local values influence the making sense of one’s self for the students at the Shamayita Math Convent School • How are schools, such as the Shamayita Math Convent School so important in the promotion of gender equality in India? • What are the effects of these values on the student’s making sense of their selves. • Where do these values, discourses and phenomena originate from? • Does this enable them to become more individualized? 5 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Chapter 1: Introduction The basis for this project was a proposition from an organisation called Friends of Shamayita Math, a Danish organisation working to support an Indian NGO called Shamayita Math, located in West‐Bengal. We were introduced to the organisation through the RUC Innovation programme and after contacting Friends of Shamayita Math, we decided that collaborating with the NGO was appropriate for our purposes. The Shamayita Math consists of an agriculture learning centre, a hospital and our focus point; the convent school. The convent school has 600 students from kindergarten to twelfth grade and is predominantly for girls. We wanted to do a project within the field of Subjectivity & Learning and we found it interesting to understand to what degree the students at the convent school are influenced by their surroundings. Furthermore we wanted to understand how the students perceive these influences and their effect on the student’s own lives. In fact, the student’s perception of self and how they make sense of themselves, in this context, is one of the main focus points of this project. A different way of expressing this goal is by saying that we want to investigate the student’s Life World. This is a concept with phenomenology, one of the methods we will use in this project, and we will use the term extensively to describe the above. We realised that in order to get a sense of the student’s Life World, it was imperative that we experienced the local environment first hand and to interview these girls. We wanted to do ethnographical observations and qualitative interviews with both students and teachers and therefore it was necessary for us to travel to India in order to construct the data required for our project, through extensive field work. Based on our introduction to Stephen Carney and Hodkinson in the lessons, we found it very relevant to view these girls Life World in the context of the local‐, national‐ and global setting and how these different settings influence the subject, in this case, the girls at the convent school. The theory behind Carney and Hodkinson is that learning cultures, have evolved into a complex construction, based on and adapted to the global flows. These flows are in a constant state of 6 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 movement and the task is then to try and detect which, and how, these tendencies affect local learning cultures. We have adopted this idea, but chosen to focus on the creation of identity, the individuation process, instead of having learning cultures as our area of focus. It can be argued that the individuation process in itself is a form of learning, in that the individual creates itself by learning and adapting according to the influences around it. These influences are absorbed and interpreted by the individual, and the result of this is part of the individuation process. In light of this theoretical background, we have divided or project into two parts: the Outer‐ and Inner World. This division is made to make a clear distinction between the different approaches and how the different forces affect the individual. In relation to this division, we will approach this task of investigating how the individuals make sense of themselves within the Inner‐ and Outer World, from different methodological angles, and rooted in different theories, in addition to Hodkinson and S. Carney. We will establish the global context, by analysing the CBSE curriculum (the national curriculum of India) in order to detect certain discourses that are present in the wording. These values will be looked upon in a global context. This way we will be able to analyze how the national educational goals for children in India are influenced by predominant global educational values. Next we will describe the environment surrounding the Shamayita Math, in order to create a context in which the Life World can be understood. This is what we call the Outer World. The second part of the project, the Inner World, will be an analysis of the interviews we have conducted in India. The interviews of the girls will be analysed with the goal of understanding how they perceive themselves and their lives. The result of these analyses will then be discussed in relation to theories in relevant fields of study. The goal here is to combine the knowledge gathered in both parts of the project, thereby attempting to shed light upon the factors that influence the girls’ individuation process. 7 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Chapter 2: Theory 2.1 Introduction to Theory In order to analyse the different components of the individuation process for girls in the West Bengal region, more specifically at the Shamayita Math Convent School, we will use different fields of study. As argued in “Understanding Learning Culturally: Overcoming the Dualism Between Social and Individual Views of Learning” (Hodkinson, Biesta and James 2008), there has been a very one‐sided understanding in the world of academia on the different process of becoming an individual and there should be a more intertwined approach with a combination of different fields of study. They argue that we can achieve a different, but perhaps more complete picture, if we acknowledge the different aspects and analytical tools that the different fields offer. Where as their focus has been on how different approaches within the field of psychology can be used to get a better understanding of learning culture, our focus within the field of subjectivity and learning will be on subject’s individuation process. Our definition of the individuation process is the unconscious, as well as the conscious, process of becoming an individual. This process is to be understood holistically, in the sense that we acknowledge it involves concepts such as: learning, social interaction and Life World. Normally within the analysis of individuals, the approach will sometimes be either sociological, anthropological or psychological. In this project, we will attempt to show a more comprehensive image of the process of individuation. We will attempt to do that by applying the theories of very different thinkers, who differ both in time, and academic approach. Our theoretical background is based on theorists such as: • Stephen Carney • Ulrich Beck & Elisabeth Beck‐Gernsheim • Phil Hodkinson, Gert Biesta & David James 8 Semester Project Spring 2014 • HIB 3.1.2 Lars Dencik These theorists represent a broad variety of approaches for analyzing the creation of an individual, but we will use their different approaches in order to create a fuller picture of the processes of individuation. The structure of the project is based on the ideas presented in “Understanding Learning Culturally: Overcoming the Dualism Between Social and Individual Views of Learning”, and we will approach the subjects via different levels. These levels represent what we have decided to call the Outer‐ and Inner World. The first level will be a national setting, where we will attempt to identify the different values, which go behind the creation of the curriculum, and how this curriculum affects the individual, despite being created in a setting very far from the one, which the individual is situated in. The second level will be focused on the local community and its history and traditions and how these affect the individual. The third level will focus on how the school, being one of the most active agents in the individuation process, affect and form the creation of the individuals. These three first levels represent the Outer World and we will focus on their influence on the individual. Lastly, we will have a fourth level where we will approach the individuals from a more subjective point of view. This is what we call the Inner World. We will be focusing on how specific individuals in the Convent School, see themselves, their relation to each other, their future etc. These different aspects of the societal and subjective point of view will give us the opportunity to look at how the individuation process is affected by many different societal aspects, but at the same time; is inescapably rooted in the individuals own point of departure. Our hypothesis is that the individuals will be the sum of various contradictory influences and power struggles and one 9 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 will only be able to see the whole process through the viewpoint of both the subject and the society. 2.2 Comparative sociology Stephen Carney’s overall scope is the transference of educational policies on a global scale. He argues that in the globalized world of now, it is impossible to disregard the global discourse and thereby creating a completely national and regional policy (Stephen Carney & Ulla Ambrosius Madsen 2009). He acknowledges that there are different power struggles occurring on a global scale, and different ideologies being forced upon the subjects, both unconsciously and by deliberate actions by governments and international organizations. As a theorist Carney attempts to go beyond ideologies in the world of academia, in the sense that he acknowledge that one thing is the attempt to find the optimal setting for children’s education, whereas it is equally important, if not more important, to see the individual in its natural habitat. We can only see the person, if we look at the individuals in its everyday‐life setting. That notion will create clashes between what is attempted to be forced upon the children, with good intentions, and what the reality is in their everyday life. That conflict will in the end effect the individual’s individuation process. Carney is influenced by other theorists such as Bradley A. Levinson. Levinson’s ideas of individuation very much pertains the notion that individuals are active agents in their own creation, but will be subjected to symbolic violence. Symbolic violence performed by the school system, since it is forcing a mindset upon individuals, without acknowledging the individuals starting point and current social setting. The discourse laid out by Levinson and Carney is a very critical approach to the idea of schooling and in general the social structures that surrounds the individuals. But what we will be using the ideas of Carney for; is to correlate both the individual and the social sphere, without having a focus that derives us from one of the two focus points. Our main focus will be on the individual 10 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 and the process of individuation, but the individual will be analysed in relation to the social sphere that surrounds it, and therefore Carney’s approach and ideas will be a point of departure for us, both in the way he gatherers empirical material and knowledge, but also in the way he sees subjects in a global setting. 2.3 The process of Individualization “Now, in freedom, they may and must decide for themselves: all the existing institutions have collapsed, all the old certainties are gone. The joy of freedom is at the same time a falling into a void. Now let everyone look after himself. What are the rules? Who’s in charge? Those who have, and who know how to increase what they have. Seventeen million people have reached this point, but the West’s caravan moves on, calling out: ‘Come with us. We know the way. We know the goal. We don’t know any way. We don’t know any goal. What is certain? That everything’s uncertain, precarious. Enjoy our lack of ties as freedom’.” (Beck & Beck‐Gernsheim 2002: 1) ‐ Friedrich Schorlemmer, German theologian, 19931 By the quote of Schorlemmer it is understood that he is addressing the global changes, caused by Western neo‐liberalistic waves, which are increasingly influencing the global understanding of a specific cultural context when viewed in relation to and by the individual itself. The quote serves both as a critique of exactly these waves, but does simultaneously underline a contemporary fact; people are being individualized, we have to think of ourselves before others, and we will not hesitate to do so. This process will in the opus of the German sociologist Ulrich Beck be seen as individualization. According to Beck & Beck‐Gernsheim (2002) the concept of individualization, may be viewed as a process which is a product of change in the social dynamics of a cultural context. Modernity in the society has created the settings in which the individual can thrive. This setting requires an active positioning of the individual in relation to possible options. In the traditional society almost everything related to the individual was decided beforehand; either by higher powers or cultural norms. In contrary the individual in the modern society is enabled to 1 Individualization: Institutionalized individualism and its social and political consequences, (2002), Ulrich Beck & Elisabeth Beck‐Gernsheim, SAGE Publications ‐ London, page 1 line 14‐23 (quote) 11 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 make choices regarding their lives themselves. Individualization is understood as being the possibility for the individual to choose (Beck 2006)2. We will attempt to use this theory in the investigation on whether or not our subjects, the girls of the convent school, are choosing actively for themselves. If this is the case, it is legitimate to assume that the girls are in a state of individualization, which could help us investigate whether the hopes and dreams are of a modern rather than a traditional character. 2.4 Dual­ and multilateral socialization The theory of Lars Dencik is founded in the class between modernized‐ and traditional/classical society. He tries to describe and depict how the creation of the individual is currently, in present state, in flux and turmoil. The individual is faced with new structures in the sense that he/she now longer can rely on the family as being the sole provider in the individuation process. More and more, we as individuals are being institutionalized by school, kindergarten, after school activities etc. In the article: The position of Families in the Transformation of the Modern Scandinavian Welfare State (Dencik, L. 1997) Lars Dencik describe the four different modern family types: the family as a team, the revolving door family, the patriarchal family and the family as an aquarium. These four types of family is an attempt to acknowledge how our progress as individuals have changed from a static, safe environment in our families, towards a more free‐flowing state of the family based on the fact that we are defined through the institutions we are placed in as well as the social groups we chose to live our lives in. In short, Lars Dencik is stating that we in the academic world must know that individuals are formed by different structures surrounding us, and these structures vary from individual to individual, in the way that one person might live with a family were everybody are having an everyday life on their own, and are only connected at, for instance the dinner table. In opposition to this example another individual might have a life on their own, 2 ”Risikosamfundet og det andet moderne” (2006) af Ulrich Beck – side 67 (citat) 12 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 but that life is rooted and has its starting point in the family, an example could be that their hobbies might be defined through what the general interests of the family is. Lars Dencik’s point of departure is the Scandinavian welfare model that clearly shows how the society in the northern part of Europe changed via a policy or idea implemented. In our project we want to apply the theory of Lars Dencik by arguing that despite the fact that he is working with the Scandinavian welfare model, and Scandinavia in general, it is possible to apply the same theory upon a society such as the one in West Bengal, India. What has to be taken into account is that it is obviously problematic, for different reasons, to directly apply his theory into the setting we are working with, since the cultural setting is very different. But what we see is the change from a traditional society towards a more post‐ modernistic setting via the school system in India. The system has been changed, for instance, by introducing the national curriculum in 2005, resembling the western way of approaching the concept of learning and education. Furthermore we also see a difference in the families in West Bengal. For example divorces are becoming a part of the general norm. This example validates our argument that Lars Dencik’s approach to the individuation process can be applied elsewhere than Scandinavia alone. Since the basic foundation of theory relies on the individual finding itself in a state of flux, we see that this is very much the same for individuals in our setting of Shamayita Math. What we want to establish is how their family life structure, as well as their social setting outside the family, is a huge part of their individuation process. We want to argue that these different social structures are a part of defining the individuals, as well as other parts of their everyday life. Furthermore this specific cultural context will be analyzed through the theory of ‘Time‐Space‐ Distanciation’ by Anthony Giddens. We will do this in an attempt to investigate if the context may be defined as being either modern and de‐traditionalized or remain traditional and hereby validate the use of Dencik in this context. 13 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Lars Dencik uses the term ‘Dual Socialization’ in the description of the clash, which occurs within the process of individuation, between the family and the school. According to Dencik the socialization made by the child when in school plays just as important a role as the socialization taking place within the family. To illustrate this clash, Dencik created the so called ‘Butterfly of Dual Socialization’: Model 1.1: The model should be understood as H in the middle being the subject in focus. The right side of the “butterfly” is the family side where the subject interacts and connects with, especially, mother and father (represented by gender signs). The left side of the model represents the institutionalized site of the subject’s social sphere. It is important to note that on the left side there is a high amount of people involved, but they are all divided into two groups: H2...n = other children, whom the subject (H) interacts with. P2...n = teachers and pedagogues, whom the subject (H) with. 14 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 The illustration above depicts how both the socialization made within the family (wing named F) and the socialization made within either school or kindergarten (wing named UFO) plays a part in the process of individuation for the individual. We will use this to depict how the school may in fact play a bigger role than the family, in the individuation process of the young girls of the Shamayita Math Convent School. An even newer version of this model exists, where instead of a butterfly it is depicted as a flower; the reason for this is that in the post‐modern and globalised society of today, more than just the two forces, the family and school, play a part in the individuation process. Such forces as internet communities etcetera. We will be attempting to apply this multilateral socialization to show that the individuation process of these girls are influenced, not only by the school and family, but potentially several other forces. Model 1.2: This expanded version of Lars Dencik’s model, shows how the interactions are increasingly getting more complicated in a post‐modern setting. Whereas the original model shows a dualistic picture of the subject’s social sphere, this expanded model shows a multilateral social sphere that keeps on 15 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 expanding. It is important to note that this model is made to show how the basic model is insufficient in a postmodern setting, and that it is possible to continue to expand on the model. Chapter 3: Methods This chapter will describe the considerations that have been made in the process of choosing the ideal methods in relation to the problem formulation. Also in this chapter there will be a description of how each set of qualitative data will be analysed, as well as a description of what kind of theoretical perspectives will be applied. Working with this particular problem formulation, we acknowledge that several approaches and methods are valid and that we cannot comprehend the full picture of the individuation process of the girls without approaching it from multiple different angles. When working in the field of subjectivity and learning, it is important to approach the problem using varied methods. In modern academia one must combine the use of different fields in opposition to traditional academia where focus usually lies within one field. Therefore we consider these different methodologies as crucial in order to paint the full picture. 3.1 The Qualitative Methods of the Project To answer the problem formulation, the research questions of this project will be dealt with through the construction of empirical data and more specifically through the use of combinations of different types of qualitative methods. To create an understanding of the girls’ own perception of their reality and potential future, the focus will be on the individual’s sense of self. Furthermore the subjective experience of the informant will be analysed. The strengths in the use of the qualitative method are, amongst others, that it allows the researcher to dive deep into the matter in question, while still assuring that this is being done within the framework of a specific context. This will, unavoidably, be anchored in the perception of reality by the informant. The qualitative interview may be viewed as a way to make sense of the informant’s view of self. (Bryman & Burgees, 1994) 16 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Qualitative methodologies are in many ways different from quantitative methodologies. The qualitative method focuses on investigation, analysis and reflection on the perspective of a certain individual. Interviews can be an example of the use of qualitative method. In this project, the qualitative methodology will be applied to interviews of girls in the village of Ranbahal in West Bengal. Given that the main focus of this project will be the understanding and analysis of the subject and how the sense of self is created in a specific cultural and social context, it is necessary to explain how the individual perceives itself in relation to the world around it. The focal point of this project is the identification of which influences play their part in the of individuation process of subjects in this specific context. The goal through the qualitative interviews is to establish an understanding of the subject’s own perception of self and through this attempt to describe how the clash between the modern and the traditional, in this specific context, will affect the process of individuation. It is clear that we as interviewers, both during the interview and during the creation of these interviews, may have had an influence, through our interactions with the informants, on the discourse. This will be further explored in Chapter 3.10.2 ‘Methodological pitfalls’. 3.2 The Social Constructionist Approach From a social constructionist view, the society consists of the language and without language there is no knowledge. Given that language is viewed as the foundation of society, it can be argued that a never‐ending negotiation is taking between the individual and the social. (Edley, 2001)3 From a social constructionist view, the sense of self is created through interactions. The identity of the individual eventually ends up being determined by the interactions between the individual and 3 Analysing Masculinity: Interpretative Repertoires, ideological Dilemmas and Subject Positions (2001): Nigel Edley, In Margaret Wetherhell, Stephanie Taylor & Simon Yates (eds.) Discourse as data. A guide for analysis. London, Thousand Oaks & New Dehli: Sage, 189‐228 17 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 the surrounding influences within a specific social and cultural context. This negotiation may be viewed as the process of individuation. We will use the social constructionist approach in the discussion part of this project in Chapter 6.2 3.3 Phenomenological Analyses In order to extrapolate meaning from the maps and the individual interviews, we have decided to apply a phenomenological approach in our analysis. The argument for choosing this approach was made on the basis of social constructionists’ view on reality, namely, Life World. They see language as the foundation of the individuation process and given that the social constructionists perceive the world as a product of a social interaction through language, it is essential to investigate the language when trying to identify the individual’s own perception of self. In this project the phenomenological approach will be of a non‐philosophical character, as described by Kvale & Brinkmann. The use of the phenomenological approach will be one of constructing meaning of each individual interview. Through this we will locate phenomenona, which reoccur in the individual interviews. The approach of applying the phenomenological analysis to the interviews will be made in accordance with a structure created by Hycner (1985). Hycner describes a procedure consisting of 15 steps. However, we have adapted this structure to fit with our project and have reduced the structure to 9 steps that are relevant in our context: 1. Transcription • Transcribing the interviews including literal statements, non‐verbal and para‐ linguistic communications. 2. Bracketing and the phenomenological reduction • Approaching the transcribed interviews with an open mind, so see whatever kind of meanings potentially have come to show. The reduction is essential for the following understanding of general meanings. Furthermore, this step entails that one will attempt to connect statements, phrases and other meanings from the text, 18 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 to fully understand the general meanings as expressed by the informant itself. All general and coherent meanings will be included, including those that possibly may be viewed as being redundant. 3. Delineating units of meaning relevant to the research question • This step can be viewed as one of the more important steps. Through this step, the researcher narrows down the field of general meanings in order to find those relevant to the project. The choice of which general meanings and themes are relevant to the context will be done in relation to the research question. 4. Eliminating redundancies • This step entails eliminating those units of relevant meaning, which are clearly redundant in context with this project. 5. Clustering units of relevant meaning • This step entails staying as true as possible to the given phenomena, which occur in the interview and then organised into clusters. The clusters are created in order to label the different meanings, and by this create a coherency between these meanings. 6. Determining themes from clusters of meaning • This step entails that the researcher interrogates the different clusters of meaning, with the aim of determining if there are central themes. 7. Writing a summary for each individual interview • An overall summary is written after having finished the six steps above. The summary assures that everything of importance has been taken into consideration. This final summary of the individual interview is made with the goal of creating a link between the newly discovered meanings and themes, which we found in the gradual condensation of the interview and the actual Life World of the individual. 8. Identifying general and unique theme for all the interviews • After having applied the seven steps described above on all of the different interviews and the general meanings and themes have been condensed, the 19 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 researcher now compares the different meanings and themes to see if any of these are reoccurring throughout the different interviews 9. Contextualization of themes • After having established general meanings and themes by comparing the interviews, these will be put in relation to the context in which the interview was conducted. These nine steps will allow us to create meanings through meaning condensation. This way we will be able paint an image of what the informants actually mean by their answers. The result is that we will be able to identify the informant’s own perception of self in relation to their Life World. 3.4 The Empirical Method This project is based on the construction of empirical date. We will do this through ethnographic observations, individual interviews, mapping and the acquisition of documents, all of which will be obtained from both first‐ and second hand sources. The problem formulation in question consists of several different research questions. To answer these research questions we will be using different qualitative methods and it is through the combination of these methods that the new knowledge emerges. This approach may be addressed as methodical triangulation (originally from the Danish description:’ metodemæssig triangulering’) (Launsø, L. & Rieper, O. 1995) 4. Methodical triangulation allows the researcher to approach the matter in question from several different angles, which will support the attempt to create an overall picture of the different types of constructed data, while also validating the results of the analyses to a higher degree. The following interviews have been used in the answering of the problem formulation and the related research questions: 4 Forskning om og med mennesker ‐ Forskningstyper og forskningsmetoder I samfundsforskning (1995): Laila Launsø & Olaf Rieper, Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busck 96‐152 20 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 1. Maps, will be further explained in chapter 3.5 ‘The ‘Maps’’ (Appendix B3) 2. Pilot Interview with 12th grade girl (Appendix A4) 3. Individual Interviews with 12th grade girls (Appendix A5 & Appendix A6) 4. Interview with ‘Mothers’ (See link in Bibliography) Points 2 through 4 were all created on site, in Ranbahal, West Bengal, India. We decided that an important task was to firstly investigate the Shamayita Math, and the local culture surrounding it, through an ethnographic viewpoint, before creating questions for any of the informant. The assumption was that the preliminary mail correspondences with the Mothers, and information gained through the website of Shamayita Math, would not suffice in the understanding of the specific context. The interviews and mappings were both created and conducted in the end of April 2014 The ‘mappings’ or ‘Maps’ were created and prepared in Denmark before leaving for Ranbahal, West Bengal, India. We tried out this ‘Map’ on a pilot informant upon arrival and revised the maps in accordance with local cultural context, our observations and the results from the pilot map. The final revised maps were then presented to the remaining informants and based on the results, as well as on the local cultural context and our observations, we created the questions for the pilot individual interview. The questions for the remaining individual interviews were also revised in the manner described above. 3.5 The ‘Maps’ ­ Creating the Framework The method of ‘Maps’ is central to this project. They have been created with inspiration drawn from the method used by Pahl & Spencer (2004)5. Pahl and Spencer use this method to make the informant take an active choice in the prioritising of personal relationships. We decided to use a mildly different method, adjusted to this specific problem formulation, for the construction of 5 Personal Communities: Not Simply Families of ’Fate’ and ’Choice’ (2004): Ray Pahl & Liz Spencer, Current sociology, 52 (2) 199‐221 21 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 qualitative data from the girls at the Shamayita Math Convent School. The way in which we use it differently was that we wanted the informants to make active choices about their values, not prioritise their friends and relationship as Pahl & Spencer use these maps. It is important to note that we do not try to influence their answers or how they went about answering the questions. They were told to write what they thought of when they read the questions and in accordance with the format, namely prioritising. This method gave us a way to construct introductory knowledge of the girls in general and it enabled us to create questions for the individual interviews. It also gave us data, which could become relevant in the analysis of the individual interviews. We deemed it highly important to our research as it helps create a framework for the entire investigation of the subjects. The maps are created to give us basic knowledge of the girls that we could not obtain before actually going in the field. Beneath is an example of how a map could look like: In this project, it is essential to understand that our interviews and maps were conducted with students from the 12th grade. We acknowledge that a potential language barrier is present, given that English is not the first language of the girls, even though it is the primary language used at the school. Before the informants started the answering of the maps, the informant would have to fill out an information page (Appendix B1). The goal of this information page is to create an overall 22 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 knowledge of the specific informant. After the information page was completed, the informant would start the process of answering a total of five different maps (Appendix B3). Each map was created with the goal of exploring the individual and how the individual perceives itself in relation to its cultural context and thereby extracting information about their values and their Life World. The questions asked on the maps are supposed to be elaborated upon, in order to figure out, why the interviewees prioritise as they do. The last goal of having this approach to the interviews is to minimise the potential language barrier by letting them use their own words and elaborate upon these in their own time so that they would be able to think about the formulation of their answers. The maps were given to a total of 22 girls (Appendix B3), out of which one functioned as a pilot informant (Appendix B4), which will be elaborated on in Chapter 3.6 ‘Pilot Informant’, and two were discarded, because they were found insufficient since nothing but the information page was answered. The girls were told that they could write whatever they found suitable and that they had as much time as needed to answer the questions. The questions asked in each map were made with the goal of investigating the girls’ Life World. The answers in the maps were done in writing and the maps will be categorised as being semi‐ structured of nature as it is possible for both the informants to elaborate, as well as possible for the interviewer to revise our interview questions for the individual interview from the answers in the maps. The maps were an immensely important tool for us as interviewers to form a basis on which we could construct the individual interviews. This method ensured that the frameworks for the individual interviews were created on the premise of the informants. By answering these maps, a framework that we as interviewees could follow was created and we could ensure that our individual interview questions were not based on our presumed knowledge, but on actual answers and the choice of language made by the informants themselves. 23 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 3.6 Pilot informant Creating a pilot interview is essential when using qualitative interviews such as ours, in order to verify that the methods used are valid for constructing usable data. In this project we used both a pilot mapping of one student (Appendix B4), as well as an individual pilot interview with the same person. We use this specifically in order to gain knowledge of the language barriers that may exist, as well as testing if it is possible to construct usable data with our methods. Before handing out the maps, as explained in Chapter 3.5 ‘The ‘Maps’ ‐ Creating the Framework’, and before conducting the interviews, one girl was randomly chosen, among the hostel girls, to function as the pilot informant. The purpose of using a pilot informant is to assure that the data gained from the interviews is of a sufficient and useable character. The girl answered the maps, and on the basis of her answers, our questions for the individual pilot interview with her were created. The pilot informant made it possible to validate the use of the methods on the grounds that the information gained through both the map and the interview was sufficient for further analysis. Because of a successful and useable pilot interview with the pilot informant, it was decided that the same method could be used for the remaining individual interviews. The pilot interview and the remaining interviews were of a semi‐structured nature, again because it was possible both for the informant to elaborate, as well as possible for the interviewer to ask follow‐up questions. 3.7 Individual Interviews After creating a framework, with the use of the abovementioned maps, the individual interviews were the next step in obtaining the data needed to analyse the students’ own perception of their Life World. These interviews are essential to this project, because we want to investigate how the students perceive themselves in the social and cultural context in which they are situated. The individual 24 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 interviews allow us to gain knowledge of the girls’ values, hopes, dreams and Life World in general. It is a great tool for us, as researchers, in order to analyse the students’ answers and thereby investigate their own perception of themselves as individuals in the given social and cultural context. The questions asked in the individual interviews were all made on the basis of answers received by the informants through the maps, as explained in Chapter 3.5 ‘The ‘Maps’ ‐ Creating the Framework’. The individuals were given to four informants, all girls of the 12th grade in the age of 16 to 18. These four girls were randomly chosen among the students that live at the hostel, connected to the Convent School. The choice to use girls living at the hostel was essential, because it eliminated an unknown denominator, namely the socialization made when not in school. In this sense all the girls were primarily subjected to the same social and cultural sphere almost every day. The interviews were conducted by two interviewers per informant. The interviews were all recorded and later transcribed and decoded for the sake of further analysis. The length of each interview varied between 16 and 30 minutes and no time limit was set for each interview. All girls were told that the interview was anonymous. The informants were merely given a number and no names were used. We decided that all the participants would receive four standard questions, in addition to the specific questions, regardless of the answers they wrote on their maps. These questions were: • Q (Standard): What do you do when you are not in school? • Q (Standard): Do you have a lot of friends? • Q (Standard): Do you have a boyfriend? • Q (Standard): When you are to be married, are you then deciding yourself who you will marry? We decided that these questions were relevant, because we had acquired vast amounts of information about women’s position in society and we felt that this discourse was interesting. 25 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Furthermore, we needed to hear from the informants, in their own words, what they do in their spare time, since this information was not sufficiently available from second hand sources. 3.8 Interview with Teachers and ‘Mothers’ We also decided to conduct interviews with two teachers and two mothers, in order to create a connection between what we knew about the organisation and the local culture and the societal context. More specifically, we wanted more information about the convent school, local culture, as well as the societal context (both regionally and nationally). This information would be helpful with understanding the knowledge obtained from the individual interviews with the girls and their perception of themselves and their situation. The interview with the ‘Mothers’ (See link in Bibliography) was deemed essential, given that these women function as supervisors, teachers and spiritual guides for those in need at the Shamayita Math, not only the school. And in this role, they are in close contact with the surrounding influences, indeed also being one themselves. Instead of preparing questions for the ‘Mothers’ before leaving, which potentially, because of lack of understanding of the local culture, could be discarded based on irrelevance, the questions were created in the field. We found that it was essential to firstly explore and investigate the local cultural context, before creating the questions. The interview with the teachers (Appendix A1‐A2) was also very important as these women have direct influence on the children and their educational development. The questions for the teachers were created in the same manner as the questions for the ‘Mothers’, as it was necessary to be in the field first, before creating questions with relevance. The goal of these interviews was to primarily to obtain relevant information for our ethnography, but also to investigate how influential the organization as a whole and the ‘Mothers’ themselves were in regards to the education for the girls and their individuality. All the interviews were conducted by two interviewers, interviewing two informants. The length of the interviews varied from 15‐45 minutes, and it has been transcribed and decoded for further analysis. Both the interview with the ‘Mothers’ and the interview with the teachers were of a 26 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 semi‐structured nature, as the informants were allowed to elaborate extensively on the questions and the interviewers were allowed to ask follow‐up questions. 3.9 Analytic approaches 3.9.1 Maps To fully comprehend and analyse the data gained through the maps, we decided on the following approach. We read through the maps and tried to find reoccurring themes that were relevant and interesting for our project. Based on these reoccurring themes or Phenomena, as Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) call it, we created the basis for the individual interviews. 3.9.2 Individual Interviews To fully understand the data constructed through the interviews, we will apply more than just the one mode of analysis. We have also chosen to use the phenomenological steps as explained in Chapter 3.3. The analysis will be done by condensing the interviews and thereafter interpreting the meaning of the answers given during the individual interviews. It is important to note that this interpretation is not done before the meaning has been condensed and extracted from the transcription of the interview. We will go into further detail in Chapter 5.2. This interpretation will act as the foundation of a theoretical analysis, where we will apply several different theories, as described in Chapter 2 ‘ Theory’. 3.9.3 Bricolage In order to analyse the entire picture, we will use a method of analysis, which we call Bricolage. Bricolage is a way of combining different analytical approaches, even if these are used in different manner than intended. Kvale & Brinkmann (2009) describe this as a mode of analysing interviews through the use of multiple methods and conceptual approaches. This is done by combining the many different results we obtain from the analyses of the different interviews. Bricolage is used when sudden similarities or results align and create a pattern, which calls for further analysis. 27 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 “The methodological bricoleur is adept at performing a large number of diverse tasks, ranging from interviewing to intensive self‐reflection and introspection.” (Gupta & Ferguson 1997: 6) 3.9.4 Ethnography In relation to our fieldwork, ethnography is an important tool. In order to truly understand the subjects in question, it is essential to understand their background, the general cultural and social setting another outside influences. The methodology of ethnography is derived from the qualitative method by Denzin & Lincoln (1998). Ethnography requires extensive qualitative field work in the form of observations, in order to create a full picture of how the people in a given environment behave and why (Gutpa & Ferguson 1997). The fieldwork required in order to create a full ethnography can be an enormous undertaking, because it requires the observer to be present in the given cultural context. 3.10 Pitfalls 3.10.1 Ethnographical Pitfalls When investigating the culture of a specific society, one of the pitfalls is that the observations are made in a context, but the influences on this context is not described. It is therefore a pitfall because the observer can end up creating an image of a given subject’s behaviour without taking the behavioral influences into account. Another pitfall is the observer himself. If there is a specific goal to his research or a hypothesis he is trying to prove, he may unknowingly be interpreting his observations to fit the hypothesis. The fact that the observer is present in the given context for an extensive period of time also means that there is a chance that the observer will be influenced by the surroundings and losing some objectivity. Another pitfall that we face is the fact that our fieldwork was done over a period of merely two weeks and in a relatively small area. We cannot be certain that the subjects we have spoken to are truly representative and given more time in the field, other observations might have been made. 28 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Also, the subjects were well aware that we were there to do research, which may have influenced their behaviour. 3.10.2 Methodological Pitfalls Potential pitfalls and perspectives must be described to ensure that potential errors have been accounted for from a methodological standpoint. The first potential pitfall is the language barrier. Even given that it, in most cases, did not limit the communication between the interviewers and the informants, there were still cases where lack of vocabulary called for further explanation. This may potentially have changed the discourse. This indeed is a large pitfall as it limited the different analysis options we had. We could not use the linguistic analysis mode, as one example, as the language barrier ensures that we cannot analyse their use of grammar, choice of words etc. In fact, one individual interview was discarded, because the language barrier was simply too great and it would not have been possible to analyse the answers given in the interview (Appendix A3). The second potential pitfall is found in the individual interviews. It may be assumed that the girls potentially acted more eagerly to impress us as foreign interviewers, and that this overexcitement may have shaped or changed the discourse. In the same sense, it has to be emphasized that the interviewers being two male university students interviewing one teenage female may have created some tension resulting in nervousness of the girls. This potential emotional effect on the girls during the interview may have both shaped and changed the discourse as well. 29 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Chapter 4: The Outer World 4.1 The CBSE Curriculum The point of this chapter is to outline the general guidelines set by the Indian Board of Secondary Education, as well as discussing whether these can be said to have been influenced by globalization/westernization. As mentioned in the introduction (Chapter 1), this project uses a girl school (Shamayita Math Convent School) in India as a case study. To fully understand the different influences that this school is under, it is necessary to understand the framework that the schools in India are based and structured upon. The convent school falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) 6 , which is the board of education for all public and private schools in India. The CBSE School Curriculum gets its lead from the National Curriculum Framework (NCF‐2005)7 and the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE‐2009)8, which serve as the basis and the foundation, which all schools must follow. The paramount guiding principles as proposed by NCF‐2005 are: “• Connecting knowledge to life outside the school, • Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods, • Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather than remain textbook centric, • Making examinations more flexible and integrated into classroom life and, 6 http://cbse.nic.in/welcome.htm ‐ About CBSE section http://www.cbseacademic.in/curriculum.html 8 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article337111.ece 7 30 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 • nurturing an over‐riding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country.”9 These guidelines are somewhat non‐specific and open to interpretation. They are guiding principles and are implemented partly through the specific suggestion of the CBSE curriculum (Appendix E) and partly by the individual schools themselves. But it seems that it is important for the CBSE to underline certain things according to the NCF‐2005. According to the National Council of Educational Research and Training10, the National Curriculum Framework (2005) was based on a series of government studies and a paper written by Yash Pal et al. called “Learning without Burden”11 (1993), which in turn is based on recommendations from The Ishwarbhai Patel Review Committee (1977), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Working Group (1984) and National Policy on Education (NPE) Review Committees (1990)12. The main points of “Learning without Burden” are that the educational system, at that time, was structured in such a way that “a lot is taught, but little is learnt or understood”13. Furthermore, it criticizes the inflexible examination system, the uncritical thinking of the students, because of the view on textbooks as “the truth” and the discouragement of observation, in the sense that instead of going out into the world and observing educational phenomenon, the students view pictures, drawings or models instead. The paper recommends more focus on the individual learning process of the student, critical thinking and discussion, as well as more actual “out‐in‐the‐world” observations. 9 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf Part I, Page 1 (Make appendix and adapt) 10 http://www.ncert.nic.in/index.html (20.05.14) 11 http://www.teindia.nic.in/Files/Reports/CCR/Yash%20Pal_committe_report_lwb.pdf (20.05.14) 12 http://www.teindia.nic.in/Files/Reports/CCR/Yash%20Pal_committe_report_lwb.pdf ‐ Page 6, (20.05.14) 13 http://www.teindia.nic.in/Files/Reports/CCR/Yash%20Pal_committe_report_lwb.pdf ‐ Page 3,(20.05.14) 31 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 In the CBSE School Curriculum it is stated that it is central that the schools “uphold constitutional values”14 such as “sovereignty, socialism, secularism, democracy, republican character, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, human dignity and the unity and integrity of the Nation.”15 These are traits and terms that we can recognize as central components of modern western society. In fact, some of these exact terms can be found in most constitutions in Western Europe and the United States. One can hypothesize that the “Constitutional Values” mentioned in the quote above are symptomatic of the Western influences in the Indian constitution, and by extension the CBSE School Curriculum, which derive from the special relationship between the West (Britain) and India, as well as the colonial history surrounding it. So we have established that in the CBSE School Curriculum there are remnants of Western influence. But when we look closer at the CBSE School Curriculum, we can also see that the increasingly globalized world is influencing the CBSE. Because the CBSE School Curriculum also states that “The core values of CBSE School Curriculum draw its strength, by keeping pace with the 21st century and the global trends of educational transformations, as well as keeping in view that India is an independent nation with a rich variegated history, extraordinarily complex cultural diversity, and commitment to democratic values and general well‐being.”16 So even though there is a focus on the independency and cultural complexity of India, there is still a focus on the evolvement of globalization and its influence of the Indian society. The statement further underlines this line of thought that schools should have “a global perspective ‐ keeping pace with the 21st century and the global trends, enhance learner's ability to understand his/her status and position in the community and the world. Develop understanding how we all are 14 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 15 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 16 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 32 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 interconnected and how we can bring about transformations as well as the individual's responsibility in this change process.”17 Based on these quotes and observations from the CBSE School Curriculum, it is evident that the CBSE is aware of global values and the growing influence of the outside world on India and its culture. CBSE acknowledges that it is necessary for the education in India to adapt to the growing influence of globalization and for the students to be aware of their position as an individual in a modern global context. How the CBSE ensures that these principles are followed is not disclosed in the CBSE School Curriculum. In fact, examination may be one of the only ways in which the CBSE can ensure that their guiding principles are being upheld.18 Obviously, there are limitations on the effectiveness of examination in this context, but it seems to be a necessity in the specific educational situation in India, for example due to the vast number of schools and the geographical difficulties.19 However utopian the general principles of the CBSE curriculum and its founding reports, documents and papers are, it is clear that it falls upon the individual school to implement these principles in a manner according to the specific local culture and environment and their own specific limitations. 4.2 Ethnography 4.2.1 Introduction The following ethnography is a description of the local area in which we attempt to create a full picture of the local culture. The purpose of the ethnography is to establish a context from which 17 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 18 19 Personal communication Personal communication 33 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 we can understand the students at the convent school and what influences them on a daily basis. The ethnography is primarily based on first hand observations, which we use in our description. However, our stay at the Shamayitha Math was relatively short and our main focus was on gathering empirical data in the form of interviews, so we found ourselves lacking some crucial information with regards to the ethnography. We wanted to include geographical and societal information about the areas surrounding Ranbahal, in order to fully understand not only what influences the girls at the convent school, but also what influences the convent school itself. So we have had to supply our first hand observations with information gathered from miscellaneous websites. We knew from the start that our ethnography would be lacking some basic, but necessary, information and this was a pitfall we wanted to avoid. So the end result of the ethnography is a combination of observations made by us and information gathered elsewhere. It is important to note that the word “Math” is a Bengali word that has a similar meaning to the English word “campus”. So Shamayita Math is the name of both the physical place, or campus, and the organisation itself. To avoid any confusion we will refer to the organisation as Shamayita Math and when referring to the physical campus of the organization, we will use the Math. 4.2.2 Politics The State Government of West Bengal is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts. It consists of an executive, a legislative and a judiciary branch. The State Governor or Chief Minister, who is appointed by the president of India on the advice of the central government, leads the executive position. The legislative assembly called Vidhan Sabha, consisting of 295 members and located in Kolkata, plays the legislative role. The Kolkata High Court, which has complete jurisdiction over the whole of West Bengal, is positioned as the judiciary.20 Three major political parties generally dominate politics in the region of West Bengal: The Communist Party of India, The Indian National Congress, and the Trinamol Congress.21 20 http://wbassembly.gov.in/ 20.05.14) http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/maoist‐didi‐party‐lists‐of‐armed‐cpm‐camps‐are‐almost‐ identical/680582/0 (20.05.14) 21 34 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 The political landscape of West Bengal is very complex. The dominant ideology is Socialism, an ideology with heavy emphasis on social and economic equality. However, India's history is not particularly full of social equality, which has presented the region with quite a few hurdles to overcome (Roy, 2009). Perhaps the largest of these has been the caste system, which has dominated the Indian society and culture for centuries. The caste system divdes the people of India into countless classes, where some are highborn, born into a life of riches and birthrights, where others belong to castes so low that they have almost no rights and are oppressed, both socially and economically. The lowest of the social classes are the Dalits, also known the casteless, and are commonly referred to as “untouchables”. While discrimination based on caste has been prohibited and abolished under the constitution of India,22 discrimination and prejudice against Dalits remain to a high degree throughout the nation. The introduction of socialism into West Bengal has changed the caste system and it is slowly changing. There is a common misconception that the caste system is dying out entirely according to the Centre for Global South Asian Studies (Roy, 2009). While the caste system is less present in the day‐to‐day life of the average citizen in West Bengal, it is evident that those who hold the political power in West Bengal still belong to the upper castes. Financially, the caste system is still thriving in India, but has taken new forms. It used to be mainly focused on bloodlines and purity, but with the death of Colonial India and the entrance of modern politics, it has shifted into a more socio‐economic state where the higher castes occupy jobs of a higher rank than those from the lower castes (Roy, 2009). Farming and other traditional, manual labour occupations are reserved for those of low castes. In this way, the caste system and the political system have managed to mould into one, making the modern Indian society compatible with the culture and traditions. 4.2.3 Climate The climate in West Bengal is tropical and there are five main seasons per year; winter, spring, summer, rainy season, and autumn.23 Most of the year however, temperatures are very high as 22 23 http://lawmin.nic.in/coi/coiason29july08.pdf (20.05.14) http://www.mapsofindia.com/west‐bengal/geography/climate.html (20.05.14) 35 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 the autumn, winter and spring periods are fairly short. The summer spans from March to June with temperatures averaging 38‐45 degrees. The summer is followed by the rainy season, which features heavy rainfall. The rainy season turns the otherwise dry and bare fields lush and green. During our stay, the rainy season had not yet set in and the temperatures were extremely high. As mentioned, the area surrounding the Math and the convent school was mostly fields and during our stay, it looked almost barren with vast dry fields spanning as far as the eye could see. The locals are extremely dependent on the rainy season and according to the workers at the Math, this summer had been particularly dry. They usually have a few bursts of rain but this season they had seen none for several months. This potentially presents a huge problem for the local population and not just those at the Math, because so much of West Bengal is agrarian. However, whether this is the product of climate change or just an unlucky year is unclear. 4.2.4 Shamayita Math The non‐profit organization Shamayitha Math is located in the small village of Rambahal in the region of West Bengal, India. It takes roughly four to five hours to get there from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. The closest village, Amarkanan, is just up the road from the school and the whole area is mostly agrarian. Most of what used to be rainforest has been cleared to make room for rice paddies and other types of fields for farming purposes. Farming seems to be the main occupation for the villagers who live around the Math and as far as we could tell, Shamayitha Math is almost completely self sufficient when it comes to food. We were served home grown vegetables for every meal while we stayed there. “Shamayita Math is a women’s organization dedicated to serving the poor, underserved and the marginalized sections of the society.”24 The organization was established in 1996 and has carried out social welfare projects and activities in the area of education, healthcare and rural development since. 24 http://shamayitamath.org/ (20.05.14) 36 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 4.2.5 Shamayita Convent School The area of education has its roots in the Shamayita convent school for girls, which was started in 1996 with 19 students. Today it has just under 600 students, half of whom live there, ranging from class one to 12, and is CBSE affiliated. Most of the students are of the first generation in their family to receive an education and the quality of the teaching, as well as the calm environment and healthy atmosphere has attracted students from all over the region. There is a residential facility in the form of a hostel in the left wing of the school where around 300 of the school’s students live for a majority of the year. If the families of the students are economically able to, they are asked to pay admissions in accordance with their income and economical situation. This helps finance the school as well as the charitable projects and services. The residential facility is primarily reserved for students from far‐flung villages, for whom it would be impossible to commute on a daily bases. The day‐scholars all live in the local area and most are from families situated below the poverty line. These children would otherwise not have access to a quality education, based on their family’s social status and economical situation. The school is located about a kilometre from the Math’s main office. It is constructed as one big building consisting of a main department and two wings, though it is easily visible that it was originally built without the wings/side‐buildings, which by the looks of it was extended sometime within the last 10 years. As of now there are two floors, ground floor and first floor, but while we were there, they began constructing a third floor, which they estimated would be finished within a couple of months. The school is surrounded by beautiful gardens and the school compound/campus is decorated with colourful flowers, a variety of different trees and a bright green lawn. Shamayita Math’s security staff guards the campus day and night. A typical day for the students staying at the hostel would start at seven o’clock in the morning. They have half an hour to get up and get ready where after they all meet outside the school at half past seven and sing traditional morning songs. They eat breakfast at eight o’clock and have their first class of the day an hour later. They have classes from nine to one and eat lunch thereafter. Typically there wouldn’t be class after lunch because of the heat, but in some cases there may be an extra class in the evening if it is needed and there are teachers available to help the students 37 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 with their homework after school hours. The girls normally they meet up in homework‐groups after dinner between nine and eleven in the evening to get the job done. In their spare‐time they play games, hang out and chat with each other, do homework, surf the web and use online social media. An average weekly schedule consists of subjects such as: Mathematics, Physics, Biology, P.E., English, Hindi, Bengali, Computer science and History. In our scope there were two particular subjects that stood out: Creativity Class and Life Lesson Class. 4.2.6 Creativity Class Creativity class was designed for the first and second graders with the aim of teaching them creative and abstract thinking from a young age. It was not conducted in the traditional sense where the teacher passes on knowledge from in front of the class, but rather had the students participate in different creative activities. Among these were puzzles and finger‐painting where the children sat on the floor at the front of the class, working together to solve the puzzles. The teacher assisted them if they got stuck with a puzzle and could not figure it out but most of the interaction in the class took place between the children themselves. When presented with new activities, the students were excited and enthusiastic about joining in. In spite of the seemingly loose structure of the class, the teacher still commanded the student’s respect. They obeyed her and establishing the teacher‐student relationship seemed to be part of the class. 4.2.7 Life Lesson Class Before the class, Mother Anahata informed us that Life Lesson class was a discussion class where the goal was to teach the children how to think independently and how to handle problems that they might experience in life. The class is held in a normal classroom, however without any tables or chairs. 38 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 All the students sit on the floor, facing a screen where a projector is projecting onto. There is approximately 25 students. Behind them Mother Anahata sits with a computer and a Powerpoint presentation called “The life of the mighty Eagle”. There was complete silence as Mother Anahata started to speak. Mother Anahata started to speak about the Eagle which lives until it is about 35 years old, but then gets too old too hunt and thusly has to go through a process of rejuvenation. This process is long and painful, but necessary for the Eagle to be able to hunt and live yet another 35 years. The point of this analogy was to illustrate to the students that sometimes you have to do things that are unpleasant, yet necessary for your continued life. Mother Anahata said; “only when free from the burdens of the past, can we take advantage of the present.” Mother Anahata moves on to another example about a blind beggar. The beggar sits on the ground holding a sign, which says “ I am blind, can I have some money?” The blind beggar sits there every day, but gets almost no money. One day a man walks by and gives the blind beggar money and takes the sign from the beggar and changes the message on the sign. Several days go by and the beggar receives more and more money and then the man returns. The blind beggar asks the man what the man wrote on his sign, because he started to get more money. And the man answered that he wrote “What a beautiful day. I wish I could see you all enjoying it.” The point of this story was to teach the students that sometimes when the going gets rough, you have to think creatively. Both examples are used to teach the students about how to handle potential life problems on a more abstract level. Mother Anahata says that the girls can leave for recess, but one of the girls point out that in the folder on the screen there was one more film that they had not yet seen. The girls insisted on seeing this film instead of going to recess and Mother Anahata obliged. 39 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 4.2.8 Other Educational Institutions Shamayita Math has established three schools/learning centres in local villages, all ranging from class one to four, to make education possible for the youngest, who otherwise would not be able to commute back and fourth from the nearest public school. The parents of the students are mostly illiterate and work in the fields. The children are therefore given a meal every day to make it economically possible for the parents to send them to school instead of staying home to take care of the young. These village schools typically consist of four teachers and about 40 students. Furthermore, Shamayita Math has established a learning centre called Shamayita Monodeep, which is a school for the mentally challenged. Here the goal is to provide a range of activities and services for children and adults with autism or other mental disabilities, with the aim of shaping their lives in a way that can ensure that they can live a healthy and dignified life on their own. This is to be achieved by: • Directly providing education, care and support to children with autism or mental disabilities in a fully integrated day care/ residential set up. • Directly providing advice, support and information to the effected families and their caregivers. • Raising professional and public awareness of the needs of people with autism or mental disabilities and associated problems within the society with an aim towards better understanding and tolerance.25 The school is open five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday and treats Saturday and Sunday as working days to encourage the parents or caregivers to participate in the school’s curriculum and activities. Shamayita Math’s education related work and activities now reach out to more than 2000 children across 30 villages in the region of West Bengal. 25 http://shamayitamath.org/node/140 (20.05.14) 40 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 4.2.9 Healthcare Shamayita Math views healthcare to be the second key area of its social welfare work. They opened a small clinic in 1986 driven by the motivation to serve the less fortunate in society, first offering homeopathic care and treatment. The healthcare centre named Shamayita Jeevan Surya began by operating in camps in the local villages and distributed medicine and medical treatment without charge. Later the medical campus moved to a permanent location right next to the main office of the Math. A number of doctors and surgeons offered their services and dedicated their time to helping the poorest of the local population, who lacked medical resources and did not have access to the private health institutions in the area. The allopathic department was quickly established and gradually, more and more people came to take advantage of the services that the clinic offered. In 2001, the healthcare campus was extended with eight rooms and a registration counter, including a drug section, an x‐ray, two rooms for doctors and an operation hall for the purpose of conducting eye surgical operations. In 2010, Jeevan Surya underwent a second renovation and expansion, establishing a surgery unit and a ward with 20 beds, making it the biggest medical centre in a 50km radius.26 Villagers in rural areas have poor access to nearby quality medical centers. Shamayita Math operates a “hospital on wheels” to reach the needs of the less fortunate villagers by bringing medical care to the doorstep of the unwell.27 Shamayita Math’s healthcare programs have benefitted more than 150.000 people in the local area.28 Agriculture Shamayita Math’s third focus area is agricultural development. They have a center called Shamayita Krishi Kendra, which is dedicated to promote and create awareness about sustainable end ecological foods. It is controlled by agriculture experts and carries out projects and activities in http://shamayitamath.org/node/61 (20.05.14) http://shamayitamath.org/hospital_on_wheels_rural_health_care (20.05.14) 28 http://shamayitamath.org/health_care_for_poor (20.05.14) 26 27 41 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 107 different villages in the area surrounding the Math. The Shamayita Krishi Kendra educates, assists and intervenes in the following areas: • Providing high‐quality seeds • Applying agronomic techniques • Multi‐cropping • Training and workshops • Animal husbandry • Field visits for reviews and follow‐ups • Irrigation Facilities The efforts of the Krishi Kendra programs have resulted in a 35‐75% increase in the annual income of the local farmers who have participated.29 The Math is the campus of the organisation located in the small village Ranbahal. The physical layout of the Math is very different from the rest of the surrounding village. Ranbahal consists mostly of traditional rural clay huts, insulated with cow dung. The roads are small dirt roads and the villagers live relatively primitive lives. The Math on the other hand consists of large relatively new two story buildings. There is a main building which houses the administrative leg of the organisation as well as housing the mothers, a small hospital which is conjoined with the kitchen and dining hall, a guest house with multiple rooms used for housing guests of all kinds, a building which housed employees and included a prayer hall, the agricultural centre or Krishikendra and the headmasters house which was tucked away behind the guest house, relatively out of sight. The first thing that strikes you when entering the Math is how clean and new everything looks. Technologically it stands out from the rest of Ranbahal and the neighbouring village of Amarkanan in the way that they have access to vehicles, such as motorbikes and cars which are very modern compared to what you see elsewhere, wireless internet and plenty of computers and a relatively stable flow of electricity. The kitchen provides three square meals days to all who live at the Math, meals, which consist of home grown vegetables and the portions are plentiful. Basically, the 29 http://shamayitamath.org/agriculture_development (20.05.14) 42 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 standard of living is very high at the Math, which is felt when talking to the people who live, and work there. They were very friendly, open and very willing to tell us about their way of life and elaborate in great detail. We immediately felt welcome, in a way that we did not experience when travelling through other parts of India, on our way to and from the Math. People in other parts of India, even in Amarkanan, seemed almost chocked to see us and rather than approaching us, they would stand at a distance and observe us. Of course, this was not the case with all the people we met, but it seemed that those who were most keen on interacting with us were youths. The language barrier has undoubtedly played a large part in this. At the Math however, it was clear that they were used to having visitors from other parts of the world and that they worked as hard as they could to make our stay as comfortable as possible. 4.2.10 Surroundings The nearby village of Amarkanan has a main road that runs straight through the middle of it. There is an intersection from which a road goes from the village to the Math. This intersection has a small marketplace with restaurants, pharmacies, clothing and other necessities. Of course, these shops are very modest and the people who live there seem to do so, on very limited budgets. In spite of this, Amarkanan has several Hindu temples, a lush sacred garden and a large school, which they manage to maintain at a very high standard. In spite of being located right next to Amarkanan, the Math is obviously separated from the village in the sense that the villagers acknowledge the presence of the Math, but seem to have little to do with it in their day‐to‐day life. The majority of the village is Hindu, with two temples despite the modest size of the village. The two philosophies/religions manage to co‐exist which strikes us as unusual, having a western background; we tend to see clashes between different cultures. This observation is based on our stay and the people we talked to in Amarkanan but we cannot rule out the possibility that this view is not shared by everyone and discrimination or conflicts occur, because of the vast differences between lifestyles at the Math and in Amarkanan. When we asked people in Amarkanan about their thoughts on Prabhuji, they explained that they view him as a wise man or philosopher, but nothing more. They did not follow him, but seemed to respect and admire him. 43 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 The differences in lifestyles were obvious when we attended a Hindu ritual in a small temple, lead by the local Baba. The ritual consisted of four or five people having a role in the ritual. Other than them the only people participating were us. The ritual went on for about an hour and all though the village continued carrying out their daily routine, quite a few people gathered around the temple during the ritual. However, they did not turn up to participate in the ritual, but rather stare at the five foreigners sitting on the floor of their temple. When observing rituals conducted at the Math, we noticed that everyone participated in every ritual and prayer, of which there were at least three a day. This contrast leads us to a possible conclusion that Hinduism is an inherited culture to the people of Amarkanan and other of the small villages, whereas the people of the Math and Ranbahal have made an active choice of following Prabhuji and his philosophies. This explains why spirituality is much more present in the daily life at the Math than in the lives of the villagers of Amarkanan. 4.2.11 Prabhuji According to the people at the Math, the Math and the surrounding villages have spawned over the last few decades. They claim that it all started with their spiritual leader, Prabhuji, coming home from the Himalayas, where he lived and meditated as a monk for fifteen years. This is where he realized his inner self, through which he discovered God and found the true meaning of life. His realization made him discover the pathway to what he calls “the liberty of the soul”.30 He believes that individuals must realize their inner self, in order to make a positive contribution to the world. Those who are enlightened, according to Prabhuji, are the ones who have found their sense of self and Prabhuji believes these individuals have a moral obligation to influence and inspire others for the better. The goal is that, the people who accept his teachings, become self realized and pass on their knowledge to those less fortunate. After settling in the outskirts of Amarkanan, alone in the rainforest, he began spreading his philosophies to people pa ssing by. More and more people started following his teachings and 30 Personal communication 44 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 people began to move in around him. They started farming the land and today the area consists of fields instead of rainforest. The main core of Prabhuji’s philosophies is spreading love and empowering others so they are able to do the same. The residents of the Math follow this belief to the letter. Since the organization officially started in 1996, they have built the convent school for girls, a convent school for autism, three schools in surrounding villages, a hospital and an agricultural center. Prabhuji, who is now in his late 70’s, whole‐heartedly believes in human equality, which is why his focus lies on empowering the female sex, seeing that there remains to be gender‐inequality in India, which upholds the present hierarchical gap between men and women. “Women should be self‐dependent. They should accumulate the spirit of self‐realization and inspiration from the depth of the soul. In spite of being spirited, they should possess a well‐ balanced rhythm of progress and beatitude in movement instead of fanaticism. Through the glaring example of their purity, infinite love and valour, women in society should unfold their originality and acquire the path of self‐liberation.”31 On arrival, we asked for the chance to meet Prabhuji in person. Based on the vague answer we received, we were uncertain whether it would be possible or not, until the morning of our fifth day there at the Math, where one of the mothers informed us that he wanted Prabhuji wanted to see us later that day. At seven o’clock in the evening, a man called Arunava Roy, one of the caretakers of the Math, picked us up at our guesthouse. He brought us to the entrance of Prabhuji’s modest house where we were asked us to take our shoes off. We walked through his garden and on to his veranda where Prabhuji was quietly sitting. We bowed to him out of respect where after we sat down in front of him. He is tall, taller than most, broad‐shouldered, and has a very large black beard, which covers most of his chest. He was wearing a light, white robe, wore glasses and wore his hair in what looked to be a single dreadlock in a coil on top of his head. He didn’t speak English very well so Arunava sat down next to us and helped us overcome the linguistic barrier between Prabhuji and us. Yet, we spoke directly to him, and him to us. Originally we were quite sceptical about him, but after just five minutes in his company, we found him to be a very kind and good‐ 31 Personal communication 45 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 hearted man. We didn’t manage to do an actual interview with him in fear of showing disrespect by recording our meeting or taking notes, but we asked a range of different questions, which he happily answered. He was extremely open and answered all of our questions, in spite of the explicit and personal content. We discussed important and serious matters like religion, politics, sex, sexuality, love and drugs very openly without the slightest uncomfortable feeling. He was empathetic in all of his answers and we quickly found out that the common denominator in his philosophies and views on life was love. He did not really believe that anything was specifically wrong, as long as the motive was thought through with love and compassion. He focused a lot on the importance of self‐realization, and spoke of it as if it was the actual meaning of life. As mentioned before, he believes in what he addresses as the liberation of the soul, which only can be obtained by exploring the mind and realizing one’s inner self. Prabhuji believes that every individual is unique from birth and has the potential to do well and make a positive contribution to the world. He believes that everyone is original and has the spiritual power to establish a connection with God, but again, in his opinion this is only accomplishable when having realized ones inner self. Furthermore he believes that God is everywhere. He doesn’t believe that God exists in physical form, but rather that God thrives within everything and comes to light through expressions of love. Throughout the meeting, he seemed very interested in our everyday lives, and asked us anything from what our societal situation was like, to what genre of music we liked and played. He had a special aura of peace and made us all feel very calm and safe, and before we knew it, an hour and a half had passed and he wished to retreat for the night, but asked us to come back the next evening to play some of our own songs for him, which we gladly accepted and carried out. 4.2.12 The Mothers The Shamayita Math is run by a group of women, approximately eight to ten, called the Mothers. They are responsible for running the organisation and are assigned to different areas. The Mothers have decided to devote their lives to Prabhujis cause, thereby excluding the possibility of marrying and establishing a family. As one of the head Mothers, Anahata, told us it is impossible to lead a 46 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 life as a fully devout Mother of the organisation while at the same time, being part of a traditional family. As we observed the everyday life at the Math, we clearly saw that the Mothers were at the centre of everything; people sought them out for advice and approached them for assignments. The Mothers had a say in everything and they were individually tasked with maintaining different aspects of the organisation. The Mother Anahata seemed to be the leader, although they have no hierarchical structure, of the Math as well as teaching one of the convent schools unique classes: life lesson class. As mentioned, the overall philosophy of Prabhuji was empowering the weak. In the specific cultural context this means first and foremost women. Having the Mothers run the organization was therefore a natural choice. The Mothers were/are not elected by Prabhuji, but rather it is a matter of commitment and devotion to the cause. In that sense, you are allowed as a Mother to have a family, but the level of devotion demanded to be a Mother seems to make it unsuitable. Our overall impression of the Mothers is that they are on top of everything in terms of running the organisation and they seem to be stern, but fair in their interactions with the workers at the Math. Towards us they were always kind, helpful, enthusiastic about our research and eager to explain what the organisation was all about. 4.2.13 Religion West Bengal is characterized as mostly Hindu. Upwards of 70% of the people there are Hindu and the last thirty percent are unevenly divided among Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Sikhs.32 Hinduism has dominated West Bengal for centuries and is heavily embedded in the local culture. Prior to the liberation from Great Britain, Bengal was undivided. After they were liberated, Bengal was split in two and West Bengal was enveloped into India while East Bengal is now part of Bangladesh. The division was made mainly based on the religions in the area. East Bengal mainly consisted of Muslims and the west was dominantly Hindu. The notion of dividing the territories by 32 http://web.archive.org/web/20070812142520/http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/ (20.05.14) 47 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 religion made sense due to the religious history of India, filled with conflicts and oppression between religious groups.33 The villagers at the Math and in Amarkanan, are mostly Hindu. This is very obvious when walking through their streets. There are temples and religious authorities, in the form of local priests or “Babbas” as they are referred to locally, associated with every temple. The night is filled with sounds from several religious ceremonies such as the “Kitun”. A Kitun is a ceremony where the villagers gather together in song and praise the gods after dusk. The sound of singing travels far over the fields and little else can be heard. However, despite the Math being located in the middle of a mainly Hindu area, they have their own way of expressing their beliefs. Prabhuji claims that he does not belong to any particular religion, but practices what he calls and believes to be a “universal religion”. This universal religion is apparently no more Hindu than it is Christian or Muslim. While we were there, they were building a universal prayer‐hall that welcomes any religion or any belief seeing that their philosophy on the matter entails a coexistence of all religions. Religion is deeply respected on the campus of the Math, yet they view all religions to be equal. What you believe in is irrelevant, as long as you live by the moral that follows. The villagers all see Prabhuji as very enlightened and believe that he is in direct contact with God. Therefore, many of the Hindu rituals have been altered to fit their new beliefs. The Kitun is performed in front of Prabhujis house, where they sing to him until he appears, stands for a while and then retreats to his house. We were able to attend an evening prayer, which was performed before the Kitun, and once again, Prabhuji was made the center. The evening prayer is a series of songs to the gods, but they concluded the small ceremony by bowing down in front of a chair Prabhuji once sat in. Thus the old Hindu rituals, which are heavily embedded in the local culture, are made applicable to Prabhujis beliefs. 33 http://www.baga.net/history‐of‐bengal.html (20.05.14) 48 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 4.3 Influences of the Outer World In this section we will focus on the surroundings, which could influence the students on an individual level. Mainly, we will focus on how the guiding principles from the CBSE Curriculum are expressed at the Convent School on an everyday basis. Furthermore, we will focus on the influences of some of the authoritative figures at the school, namely the Mothers and Prabhuji. 4.3.1 The Effect of the CBSE Curriculum There are deduced that there are three main ways that one can identify how the guiding principles of the CBSE Curriculum are implemented. ! English as instruction language In the CBSE Curriculum it is stated that the schools must have “a global perspective ‐ keeping pace with the 21st century and the global trends…”34. This is expressed by the Convent Schools choice to teach in English and use English as the instruction language on daily basis. All communication between the teachers and the students is in English, both in academic and non‐academic situations. Given that English is increasingly used as the primary language in global communication, this choice is an expression that the girls are being prepared to adapt for the global trends of the 21st century. It can also be argued that this is in its own way is an acceptance of the growing influences caused by globalization. However, this could also simply be a remnant of the colonial relation that India has with the United Kingdom. In any case, the student are taught in a language which will help them function in a more global setting. 34 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 49 Semester Project Spring 2014 ! HIB 3.1.2 The overall development of the students One of the primary guiding principles in the CBSE Curriculum is: “Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather than remain textbook centric,”35. According to the CBSE, it is important that the schooling process not only develops the academic skills of the students, but also the non‐academic skills, such as life skills and general attitudes and values. One can identify how this principle is expressed at the Convent School by how they grade their students: Part 2 of the report book focuses on the co‐scholastic areas, which entails that the students are being evaluated on life skills, such as thinking skills, social skills and emotional skills. Attitude and values of the students are also evaluated, especially their attitude towards teachers, schoolmates, school programmes, the environment and value systems. In part 3 of the report book which focuses on the co‐scholastic activities, the students are also graded on literary and creative skills, scientific skills, aesthetic and performing art and finally their membership to certain extra‐curricular activity clubs. Finally, the students are also evaluated on their health and physical education. 35 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 50 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 It is evident that at the Convent school there is a special attention to the overall development of the students, as required by the CBSE Curriculum. In this instance demonstrated by the report book described above. ! Life Lesson Class One of the classes at the Convent School is called Life Lesson Class. In this class, the students receive education on how to comprehend complex situations that might help them in the outside world. This works very well with the primary guiding principles of the CBSE Curriculum, where it is stated that it is important that the schools help the students in “Connecting knowledge to life outside the school,”36. The Life Lesson Class is instrumental in developing the student’s skills and abilities to connect what they learn in school with the world outside of school. Furthermore, it can be presumed that the Life Lesson Class enables the students to understand the social construction in which they are situated. 4.3.2 Authoritative Figures of Importance With the examples above we have established how the Convent School tries to implement the Guiding Principles of the CBSE Curriculum. But the CBSE Curriculum is only one of the factors of the influences of the Outside World on the individual. ! Mothers As leaders of the Shamayita Math, the Mothers have a very influential position at the Convent School. The Mothers are respected to a high degree and pride themselves on being teachers, as well as spiritual and emotional guides for the students. The effect of this is that the students see the Mothers as role models and strive to be increasingly like them. Obviously, this has a strong influence on the personal development of the students. In 36 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 51 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 effect, the Mothers exhibit that a woman can be in a position of respect and authority, despite the cultural and historical limitations of women’s position in Indian society. ! Prabhuji As the spiritual leader and the creator of the Shamayita Math Organization, Prabhuji naturally holds a respected position in the local community, as well as at the Convent School. As previously mentioned, Prabhuji’s teachings are very influential in the principles of the Convent School. In fact, the Mothers often mention him in every day teaching situations and the students often seek council from the Mothers based on his teachings. The concepts surrounding the idea of self‐realisation seem to influence the structure and teachings within the school setting in a special way. According to Prabhuji, one must realise ones inner self in order to make a positive contribution to the world. He calls this concept “Liberty of the Soul”. Finally, he plays a vital role in how the students view women and their place in society, due to his ideology of female empowerment. We have now shown some of the vital influences on the individual at the Convent School. In Chapter 6, we will analyse in what way these influences express themselves. Chapter 5: Inner World 5.1 Phenomenological Analysis In this chapter we will be explaining how we construct our data through phenomenological analysis of the individual interviews. We decided to use this precise method to further our understanding of the process of individuation, as it is a great tool for us to try to understand how the girls make sense of their Life World (Kvale & Brinkmann 2009). 52 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Our process of constructing the needed data, started with us handing out the Maps (Chapter 3.5) to girl students in the 12th grade of the Shamayita Math Convent School. We chose these girls for two primary reasons. The first of these being, that they are the eldest students of the convent school and therefore are preparing to leave either for further educational purposes or to join the labour force. This is interesting to this project because they are facing these major decisions within the near future. The second reason is based on the assumption that the language barrier would be minimal with these girls, as they have studied in English for several years compared to the younger students. The first step in constructing the needed data was to create a set of Maps; these maps consist of seven preliminary questions, in the form of an information page. This is followed up by five priority maps, which consists of five different questions. In each map the informant has to prioritise their answers to the five questions, with the highest priority in the centre (Chapter 3.5) From the answers given in these Maps, we constructed a set of questions for an individual pilot interview. The rationale behind the pilot interview was that we were unsure whether or not the language barrier would still be a problem, even though we had tried to minimise this by choosing 12th graders. Therefore, we decided to test both the Maps and the following individual interview upon a pilot informant. This pilot informant was chosen randomly and was asked to answer the maps one day in advance of the scheduled Maps interviews with the rest of her class. Based on her answers, we created a pilot individual interview for her to answer the same evening. Both the maps and the individual interview proved to be useful in the construction of the data we needed and hereby validated our use of methods when constructing the data. The following day, the Maps were introduced to the remaining 21 students of the class, excluding the pilot informant. These maps will later be used to extrapolate upon the interviews to support data constructed in the individual interviews. The girls were given unlimited time to answer these maps and the answers gave us a clear indication that it would be more scientifically relevant for us to individually interview girls currently living at the hostel, which is connected to the school. The reasoning behind this was that these girls are exposed to the influence of Shamayita Math to a much higher degree than the girls not living at the hostel. From the answers given in the maps, we 53 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 created a set of new questions for the individual interviews through phenomenological analysis, much like the process of the pilot informant interview. 5.2 Pilot Interview Analysis The transcription of the pilot map can be seen in Appendix (B4), when analysing it, it becomes clear that certain areas are more important to our pilot informant than others. These specific areas such as the pilot informant’s future plans, is what we were looking for in the maps. Phrases such as “Better job and employment” (Apendix (A4): 3), set as the first priority when asked the question; “What do you think education offers you” (Appendix (A4): 3) is very interesting for us to delve into in order to investigate their sense of self in regards to what they believe they gain from the education. This leads us to the individual interview questions, where we decided to dig into this exact area by posing the question; “Why is it the most important thing to you to have a good job and good employment?” (Appendix (A4): 1). We chose a semi‐structured interview form, where the informant is allowed to elaborate on an area that thinks of as important, the interview is then on her premise and not ours, yet it allows us, as researchers, to ask follow up questions. To take the next step in verifying our methodological approach we had to analyse the pilot interview, we decided to use a phenomenological approach. This is done by following a nine step ladder as described in Chapter 3.3 – Phenomenological analyses). We chose this approach, in order to construct the best possible data to use when identifying their making sense of self in their Life World, as identifying the phenomena and themes of what they say will help us do so. The nine step ladder described in chapter 3.3 is our point of departure for this analysis, however, in the case of the pilot interview we only follow the first seven steps as the last two steps, combined with the theoretical analyses, are to be applied in the end to construct more generalising data based on the comparison between the different individual interviews. Step one is the transcription of the interview, which can be seen in Appendix (A4). The second step is to find meanings through bracketing and reducing the answers to small sentences condensed to the very meaning of each sentence. It is important here, that we approach the interview with an 54 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 open mind, not filled with presuppositions of what the informants may mean. Step two is a thorough walkthrough of the transcription, where all meanings in the text is written down, including those that may be viewed as redundant, this can be seen in full in Appendix (B7). Alan (Q): By mail or…? Paramita (A): 13By phone, by facebook, social networking sites. 13 She stays in contact with her friends by phone and the internet. Facebook and other social networking sites. Alan (Q): Do you miss them? Paramita (A): 14Yeah a lot. 14 Anders (Q): How long have you been here living at the hostel? Paramita (A): 15I’m from class 8 so for five years. 15 Anders (Q): Five years. And you only go home in weekends and… Paramita (A): 16No not in weekends. In vacations. Anders (Q): And then you visit your friends and family? Paramita (A): 17Yes. Anders (Q): Tell us something about what is good ... ehh ... About studying here the convent school. Paramita (A): 18This convent school? (long pause) 19we get many general knowledge from here. 20 Something about spiritualism. Uhm. 21My friends are very good. They’re … they help each other. 22The speaking, the English speaking is very good over here in convent school. 23 Teachers are very good. The teachers are very nicely. They, if we have any problem in any topic, they repeat it many Yes. (She misses her friends, from home) She attends the 8th grade and has been enrolled for five years at the school. 16 She only goes home during vacations, not in weekends. 17 Yes (She visits her friends when at home, during vacation) 18 (Confusion about the school) She gets much general knowledge from the convent school. 20 She gains knowledge about spiritualism. 21 Her friends are good, they help each other. 22 The use of the English language is good at the convent school. 23 The teachers of the school are very good, they help with every problem of any topic and makes themselves clear to the students. 19 55 Semester Project Spring 2014 times. HIB 3.1.2 24 Yes, the teachers help the students a lot Alan (Q): So they help you a lot? Paramita (A): 24Yeah. They uhm they help us a lot. Anders (Q): Spiritualism, is that important to you that you have spiritualism in your everyday life? Paramita (A): 25Yes that’s important. 25 Yes, spiritualism is important in her everyday life Anders (Q): Can you tell us something about, why it is important to you? The third step is basically an effort to make sense of the different meanings in relation to our problem field; we did this by highlighting the different meanings that had relevance to our project. The process can be seen in Appendix B7 – Units of general meaning. The fourth and fifth step includes eliminating redundant data and clustering the units of relevant meaning. These two steps are shown below. Units of general meaning. Paramita. Step 4 – Eliminating redundancies (Paramita) Friends (Gossiping, missing them), 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 46 Friends (13 – Social Networks) (14 – Misses her friends) (46 – Friends help build up Living situation (Home, Hostel), 4, 5, 8, 11, confidence) 34, 35, 36 Home (4 – Lives at <hostel) (34, 35, 36 – Had Education (Studying, Gaining knowledge), 9, to move school because she must live at 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 41, 60, 69, 88, school according to parents) 95 Education (23, 24 – Good teachers) (60 – 56 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Shamayita Math Convent School (The Discipline important in/for education) (88 – specific school, mothers, teachers), 15, 19, Concerns about her future studies) 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 34, 39, 42, 45, 63, 92, 93 Convent School (19 – General knowledge) Social Networks (Internet), 13, 75 (42 – Only love at the school) (63 – Mothers teaching methods are good, they make you Spiritualism (Prabuhji), 20, 25, 26, 27, 28 want to follow them) (92 – Expectations of mothers) Ideal girl (Good person, good girl), 26, 50, 64, 65 (relates to 64), 67, 69, 70, 71, 104 Internet (13 – Means of staying in contact with friends) (75 – A bad habit, spending too Family (Problems, parents); 35, 36, 41, 110 much time on social networking sites) Confidence (Independence, equality, Spiritualism (25 – Spiritualism is important in respect), 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 55, 56, 57, 68, everyday life) (26 – God and spiritualism can 79, 80, 84, 97, 98 help her) (27 – Spiritualism is important regarding education) (28 – Spiritualism is not Future (Job etc.), 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 57, 59, important regarding education, but in 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 97, 99, 104, 105, regards to her everyday life) Discipline (Obedience etc.), 60, 61, 62 Being an ideal girl (26 – Wants to be a good person) (50 – Wants to be a good girl) (64, Concerns (Bad habits etc.), 72, 73, 75, 76, 65 – What is a good girl) (67 – She is a good 77, 78 girl) (69 – Everyone can be a good girl) Society, cultural context; 80, 84, 96, 98 Family (35, 36, 41 – Issues with parents/family/father) (110 – youngest Marriage; 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 person, many problems) 57 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Confidence/Independence/Equality/Respect (43, 44, 45, 46 – Confidence is important, fear of staying in the background, who helps her become more confident) (51, 52, 53, 55, 56 – Respect for others is important) (97, 98 – Respect in society) Future (50, 51, 52, 53, 55 – What and why she wants her future to be) (87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92 – Ambitions, expectations and fear thereof, for the future) (104 – She wants to become the best of the best) (105 – Positive attitude towards her future) Discipline/Obedience (60, 61, 62 – Discipline is important in society, in education and in general) Society/Cultural Context (84 – Society, equality between girls and boys) (96, 98 – Respect and equality in the society) (107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 – Talking about arranged marriages, she wants her marriage to be arranged) The numbers indicate which meaning (sentence) they are related to and the headlines next to them are the clusters that we’ve put them in. The following step is to determine themes in these clusters and regrouping the clusters to match the themes as done below. 58 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 (Determining themes from clusters of meaning – Pilot) Education / Convent School (23, 24 – Good teachers) (60 – Discipline important in/for education) (88 – Concerns about her future studies) (19 – General knowledge) (42 – Only love at the school) (63 – Mothers teaching methods are good, they make you want to follow them) (92 – Expectations of mothers) 19 She gets much general knowledge from the convent school. 23 The teachers of the school are very good, they help with every problem of any topic and makes themselves clear to the students. 24 Yes, the teachers help the students a lot 42 At the convent school, where she also lives, there is no scolding. Only love. 63 The mothers do not order her, they ask for discipline in a polite manner which makes her want to follow their lead. 92 The mothers and her parents do have some expectations, but they do not force their expectations upon her. Internet (13 – Means of staying in contact with friends) (75 – A bad habit, spending too much time on social networking sites) 13 She stays in contact with her friends by phone and the internet. Facebook and other social networking sites. 75 Another bad habit is always opening her social networking sites. Her parents do not like it. Spiritualism (25 – Spiritualism is important in everyday life) (26 – God and spiritualism can help her) (27 – Spiritualism is important regarding education) (28 – Spiritualism is not important regarding education, but in regards to her everyday life) 59 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 25 Yes, spiritualism is important in her everyday life 26 She wants to be a good person, a good student. Spiritualism and God can help her obtain that. God is ominous. 27 Spiritualism is important regarding education. 28 Knowledge about God (Spiritualism) is important in her personal life, not in her academic life. Family / Home (35, 36, 41 – Issues with parents/family/father) (110 – youngest person, many problems) (4 – Lives at hostel) (34, 35, 36 – Had to move school because she must live at school according to parents) 4 She stays at the hostel, not at home. 34 She had communication problems; she could not stay at the school in Durgapur, due to there being no hostel. This is why she changed to the convent school. 35 Her father and her parents wants her to stay at a hostel (near the school), not at home. 36 Yes. (She had to find a school where she could live, at a hostel, because she could not stay at home) 41 Many things were different from the school in Durgapur to the convent school. She used to stay at home, and was often scolded by her parents. Confidence/Equality/Respect (43, 44, 45, 46 – Confidence is important, fear of staying in the background, who helps her become more confident) (51, 52, 53, 55, 56 – Respect for others is important) (97, 98 – Respect in society) 43 Confidence is very important to her. 44 She is afraid that she will always stay in the background. 45 The mothers, teachers and friends at the convent school helps her become more confident 46 Yes. (Her friends, teachers and mothers build up her confidence) 60 Semester Project Spring 2014 51 HIB 3.1.2 She does not want to show her talent to get money, but to be respected, like girls normally do not, in India. 52 She does not want a good job in order to get a lot of money, but she wants a good job to get respect. 53 She wants to get a job in the administrative service business of India. To get respect. 55 She wants to be a good leader. She wants to be honest, give employees freedom, treat them well. 56 There are many poor people and she does not want to separate rich from poor, she wants to treat everyone equally. Future (50, 51, 52, 53, 55 – What and why she wants her future to be) (87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92 – Ambitions, expectations and fear thereof, for the future) (104 – She wants to become the best of the best) (105 – Positive attitude towards her future) 50 She wants to be a girl, a talented girl. She wants to show her talent to everyone. 51 She does not want to show her talent to get money, but to be respected, like girls normally do not, in India. 52 She does not want a good job in order to get a lot of money, but she wants a good job to get respect. 53 She wants to get a job in the administrative service business of India. To get respect. 55 She wants to be a good leader. She wants to be honest, give employees freedom, treat them well. 87 She is quite concerned with her ambitions and hopes of the future. 88 She is concerned about her education; she is concerned about reading more and not hanging out with friends. She has to concern herself more with her studies. 61 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 89 Yes, sometimes (She is scared that she cannot live up to her own expectations). 90 No she does not think there are many expectations for her. She has expectations for herself though. 91 Yes (she has expectations for herself). 92 The mothers and her parents do have some expectations, but they do not force their expectations upon her. 104 I will try my very best to be the best. I am not just saying that I will try, I will be the best. 105 No she does not think negatively. I always look at the bright side. There is always a way to succeed, she will manage if she cannot become the best. Society/Cultural Context / Discipline / Being an ideal girl (84 – Society, equality between girls and boys) (96, 98 – Respect and equality in the society) (107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 – Talking about arranged marriages, she wants her marriage to be arranged) (60, 61, 62 – Discipline is important in society, in education and in general) (26 – Wants to be a good person) (50 – Wants to be a good girl) (64, 65 – What is a good girl) (67 – She is a good girl) (69 – Everyone can be a good girl) 26 She wants to be a good person, a good student. Spiritualism and God can help her obtain that. God is ominous. 50 She wants to be a girl, a talented girl. She wants to show her talent to everyone. 60 Discipline is a big part of education. Behavior and discipline is very important. 61 Discipline is important to the society, because if she is disciplined the society will accept her. 62 Behaving properly, respect for others; parents, teachers and mothers is important. 63 The mothers do not order her, they ask for discipline in a polite manner which makes her want to follow their lead. 64 An ideal girl is a good girl who can inspire others. 62 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 65 Yes (That is the core of being a good girl). 67 Yes (She is (I am) a good/ideal girl). 69 They can also be an ideal girl. (Girls who does not get educated) 84 In our society, parents believe that a sons are allowed to do everything, and the daughters are not. 96 If I do good things for society, then the society will support and love me. If they choose me, I will give back. 98 Yes yes (respect in general in the society is very good) 107 My marriage will be arranged. 108 Yes my marriage will be arranged, because my parents will choose the best for me. 109 I can learn to love the person I marry. 110 I am the youngest one of my family, so I may face many difficulties in the future. I will love the person I marry no matter what. 111 If my father arranges my marriage, he can find the problems and do the best possible for me. He will choose my husband. 112 No I will not search for a boyfriend myself. We decided to simply use some of the titles of the clusters as our themes as they fit quite well to the project and the data we wanted to construct. The final step of the pilot interview is to write a summary of the interview. One very important thing to remember when doing this; is to create a link between the meanings and themes, and the Life World of the pilot informant, to show that the themes and meanings are actually derived from the words of the pilot informant. This summary can be seen below. 63 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 5.3 Summary Pilot Interview The interview starts off with a talk about her relationship with her friends and family, her social interactions. It is obvious to begin with that she misses her friends and family from back home. In itself, her relationship with her friends has no real relevance to our project, what is interesting is how she maintains her relationships using social networking sites, such as Facebook. She changed to the convent school in the eighth grade and chose the convent school because of the hostel. Though she misses her family and friends at home, she loves her new friends and the Mothers at the convent school. The spirituality that transcends the convent school is important to her and she believes strongly in God. She wants to be a good person and student and she believes that she can obtain that through spiritualism and God. Her view on spirituality is interesting to our project because her spirituality is heavily influenced by the school. Something that becomes very clear during the course of the interview, are her personal ambitions to become a good girl. In her words, a good girl is someone who can inspire others. As our focus lies on the individuation process, her notion of what she wants to become, is important, as is it at the core of what we want to analyse. Her core values are respect, confidence, obedience, discipline and equality. These values might eventually display an active choice in her making sense of herself and her Life World. She is very confident about her future but admits that her own expectations are very high. None the less she is sure that she can become the best. Exactly what she wants to do in her future is unclear, however as a leader, she wants to be honest and treat her employees well. She is very concerned with equality both between the rich and the poor, as well as between the genders. She seems to be an extraordinarily positive girl who believes she has the capacity to do what she wants. She talks about her concerns about her bad habits, which in itself is not that relevant to our project, except that one of her bad habits is her excessive use of the Internet. Furthermore, it is an example of a general willingness to grow and adapt as an individual, in order to reach her goals. 64 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 When asked about her future, concerning marriage, it is obvious that she believes her parents to be better suited for the task of picking a future husband and she will learn to love whoever they pick. She has faith that her parents will choose a suitable husband and will take care of any problems. It seems that it is a matter of practicalities. We wish to explore this further because of the clash between modern and traditional traits and values. 5.4 Remaining Interview Analysis The process of phenomenological analysis, as described above, was also applied to the other two individual interviews. This process can be seen in Appendix B5‐B6. The result of this process can be seen below, i.e. the summaries. 5.4.1 Summary SB1 Interview She has a mother and a brother at home, but she does not miss them anymore. She did in the beginning of her stay at the convent school, but after 10 years she prefers life at the school. Her father passed away, and she gets scolded by her family when she is at home. She emphasises that independence is very important to her. Her plan is to gain independence through high education, and she has a very clear idea of what her future holds for her (professor of computer science). She stresses the fact that obedience and discipline will help her to gain her independence. In spite of this, she mentions that one of her biggest concerns is that she does not like to study. Some classes bore her, but she is confident that she will get the education she wants. She respects, and agrees with, the philosophies of Prabhuji, but she views spirituality as a way of gaining knowledge concerning ideologies. She is very concerned about inequality, and she feels that women are not respected in general. That is one of the reasons why she wants a high education, good job and thereby gain respect from others. 65 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 She has a boyfriend, and she wants decide for herself who she marries in the future. Marriage for her is about love, and she fears that if her mother is to decide on her behalf she will not be comfortable with that decision. In relation to the phenomena we focus on, we find it interesting how much she speaks about her future. She sees herself as being in total control of her future. Nonetheless, she acknowledges that obedience is needed, in order to reach the goals she has set for herself. She approaches the ideas of Prabhuji as hard thinking rather than a religious belief. That is interesting in terms of how that affects her individuation process. She has a very strained relationship with her family, and it seems that they are the ones she is trying to become independent of. 5.4.2 Summary RM2 Interview The interviewee has a strong relationship with her family who she misses. Generally, she seems happy about going to the school. It is important to her to make her family proud of her, especially her father. She feels that she owes her father a lot because of the opportunities he has given her, so she has high ambitions to repay him in the form of a high education. This education is also important in the sense that girls with low education have a higher dowry. She explains that her parents’ dreams are more important than her own, but she shares their dream. This dream is to get a high education and thereby get a well‐paying job. The values that are important to her could be characterised as values of discipline. She highlights respect and obedience towards teachers, regular schedules and kindness towards others. She is a bit concerned about her future since she is going to be part of a society with a high level of inequality, unlike at the Convent School. She is well aware that the surrounding world and the school are not necessarily comparable in this sense and that is what concerns her. She feels that the ideology of Prabhuji is a non‐redundant part of the school and she views this as a part of her education. In addition to Prabhuji’s philosophies being a part of her education, she says she has found peace after meeting him. Education to her is more than what you read in the books, it is also about learning punctuality, respect, spirituality and general discipline. 66 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 The interviewee has a strong focus on her family and talks in great lengths about how they influence her values and life. It is interesting in opposition to the fact that she studies at a convent school and it seems more important than her daily interactions with her fellow students. She says herself that she wishes to become independent, but there seems to be a clash between her will to do well for herself and her need to please others, especially authority figures and her parents. 5.5 Thematizing Now that the first seven steps of the phenomenological analysis have been followed on each of the individual interviews, we begin to see several general themes and meanings emerge from all of the interviews. In the following section, these will be compared to see if any of them occur in more than one of the interviews. 5.5.1 Education As mentioned, the CBSE have posed a number of guiding principles, which the schools are to follow. One of these principles is connecting knowledge to life outside the school. To further investigate how this global flow of schooling is more than merely books and academic knowledge, we have chosen to analyse the girls’ perception of education and what it entails. Before diving into the interviews with the three informants, we have created a link between the CBSE Curriculum, in this case the specific guidelines, and the Informants. We did this by conducting interviews with the teachers and later analysing them. The guiding principle of the CBSE Curriculum is obvious in the interview with Teacher 2 who said; “Education does not mean only, is not only limited to the books. Education is not limited to the books. Education means all development of a person; social, moral, everything. So from this school, they will not only learn, they will not only get the bookish knowledge. Else from that they, they will also know how to handle situations in their life, maybe their personal life and their professional life. So this school helps each and every child develop skills in all possible society so they can match the society.” (Appendix A2) 67 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 We see that there is a general discourse from the authorities in the form of the teachers as well as the curriculum. This shows itself when we analyse the interviews with the girls. During the interview with the Pilot Informant, she states the following; “we get many general knowledge from here”. This may in itself appear to be rather vague but when put in relation to the answers received from Informant 1, there is a clear tendency of what they perceive to be important in education; “it offers to learn disciplines because school is not the eh… school is… we are educated, why we are educated to learn disciplines that we should not eh… that we should not treat others in a wrong way, we should treat others in a good way ehm… we should behave properly with others, we should respect our teachers, we should not ehm… abuse them”. This particular quote indicates that Informant 2, like Informant 1, views her education, not only as a tool in the acquisition of academic knowledge, but also as a means to require knowledge regarding society and general behaviour. 5.5.2 Spiritualism Since the school is based on the ideas of Prabhuji as well as the CBSE Curriculum, we find it important to acknowledge spirituality as one of the phenomena. The school itself has multiple pictures of Prabhuji, decorating quotes and daily prayers in the morning. All the informants speak about spirituality and the part it plays in their lives, which varies from informant to informant. Informant 2 states that “(…) I have come here to learn something about religious things also (…) I learn to ehm, how to be religious” (Appendix A6). She later on elaborates, saying “(…) Prabhuji is a god for us, and I know him (…) it is not really only a school for me, it is really a sacred place for me” (Appendix A6). Based on these two quotes we can conclude that she has a strong relation to the spiritualism surrounding Prabhuji. To Informant 2, spiritualism is an important factor in her life. When asked why spiritualism is important to her, the Pilot informant answers; “It is important for us because if we are staying in this world (…) we believe that this world is created by God and if he wants to destroy it, he can. It is his wish, he can do (…) If I am devoted to him then he can make me a good, very good” (Appendix A6). This quote from the Pilot Informant shows us that she, like Informant 2, has a strong relation to religion. Through this description of God, it may be argued that He plays a huge part in her everyday life and routines. Informant 1 has a rather different 68 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 relationship to the religion at the school. When asked why spiritualism is important to her she replies “that’s not important for me in every part of my life (…) I don’t think that is very much important for me, but as I respect Prabhuji that is why I follow him only”. She elaborates on her views on spiritualism by saying “in my words, spiritualism is knowledge of ideology. I mean we have Prabhuji and we get hard knowledge and hard thinkings, he gives us knowledge, and we follow it, we like it also”. She displays a more detached relationship with the concept of spiritualism and religion, viewing it as philosophy rather than religion. Despite the informants having very different views and relationships with the spiritual side of their education at the convent school, there is a discourse to be noted. Regardless of their individual thoughts on religion and spiritualism, they are presented with spiritualism on a daily basis, forcing them to acknowledge and relate to it. This discourse is passed down from the Mothers, teachers and Prabhuji. 5.5.3 Aspirations within the society When asked about their future, all of the girls showed aspirations towards high profiled jobs; Pilot informant: “I want to do Indian Administrative Service (…)”, Informant 1: “(…) I will be a professor of computer‐science” and informant 2: “I think that I can be a successful engineer (…)”. When asked about their future, they explain that it is important for them to become independent and stride towards equality in India. They are not interested in these high profile jobs solely for financial personal gain, which is a common connotation linked to high‐profile jobs. What is important to the Informants are personal values. When asked whether a good job is for personal gain, i.e. money, the Pilot Informant answers; “No not for money, I want to get respect! That respect that every girl doesn’t get”. The notion of achieving gender equality is clear in all three of the interviews we conducted, something they keep on returning to; “I want to be a respected one because as I told you before, Indian girls are not respected to everybody. Especially the old ones, they don’t give important to us and I want to break that type of idea that we, girls can’t do anything and I want to be like that who can do everything. A girl can do everything. That’s why I want to be a respected one to show everyone that type of thinking that a girl can do whatever she wants”. This notion is coherent with the general discourse laid out by the school, as expressed by 69 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Teacher 2 when asked about her aspirations for the students becoming individuals; “so, all these students are having their own individuality, ok. According to their individuality they will establish their future life (…)”. Through the analysis of the interviews it has become evident that all of these girls aspire to achieve high‐profile jobs. This aspiration is not based on potentially high wages, but based on their personal ambitions of gaining respect and promoting equality. This particular aspiration for gender equality is one of the more fundamental ideas in Prabhuji’s philosophies; “Women should be self‐dependent. They should accumulate the spirit of self‐realization and inspiration from the depth of the soul. In spite of being spirited, they should possess a well‐ balanced rhythm of progress and beatitude in movement instead of fanaticism. Through the glaring example of their purity, infinite love and valour, women in society should unfold their originality and aquire the path of self‐liberation.”‐ Quote, Sri Sri Prabhuji The general discourse among these girls, shows that higher education and eventually high‐profile jobs, does not work simply as a tool to achieve economic independence, but rather as a means to promote values such as equality and respect for women in society. This notion is at the core of Prabhuji’s philosophies and the very foundation the convent school was built upon. 5.5.4 Traditions In spite of important values such as independence and equality playing such a large role in their lives, traditional values (from a western perspective) still manage to have an effect on the girls’ lives in the form of a cultural discourse. This is evident in the way that the Informants address the institution of marriage. Two out of our three informants, embrace the idea of arranged marriage. They truly believe that their parents are more capable of making a decision than themselves. As the Pilot Informant puts it; “yes. Because my parents will choose the best for me I think (…) I can love that person so it is important (…) If my father has arranged marriage for me he can look after 70 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 all the problems, so it is the best for me. He will choose”. This clearly indicates that she is somewhat still bound to traditional values, because it seems more practical in her Life World. On the contrary, Informant 1, has a very different view on the institution of marriage. Rather than viewing marriage as a practical matter, her desire is to marry for love. When asked whether or not she will get to decide for herself who she wishes to marry, she answers; “Yes I will decide because if my mother decides that, then I think I will not be comfortable with her decision. I think to do love marriage in my decision, because I will see him and see if he is perfect for me or not (…)”. Chapter 6: Theoretical Discussion We have been outlining the different scales that influence the individuals, throughout the chapters in this project, from a global scale to a local setting. The next step is to understand how these scales interact in relation to the individual by applying the theories we have chosen to apply to the data we have constructed. Acknowledging that we are working with different scales, our first step will be applying the comparative sociology in the opus of Stephen Carney. Carneys scope is an acknowledgement of the interplay between the global flows and the values that occur in the local setting. In our project we see a certain set of global values, on a national scale, in the CBSE Curriculum. Furthermore we will discuss how social constructionism can be applied in order to understand how language (more specifically the discourses created within language) influences the subjectivation process of individuals. In addition, we will be applying the theories of Lars Dencik to the content of the interviews, in order to discuss if his idea of dual‐ and multi‐lateral socialization can explain the different influences of their social sphere’s, and how these contribute to their understanding of their sense of self. 71 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 6.1 Comparative Sociology Stephen Carney focuses his work on how global flows affect individuals in a local setting. In our project we see these global flows first occurring in the CBSE Curriculum, where the core values, as mentioned in Chapter 4.1, can be seen as highly influenced by western ideas. These ideas of; “(…) democracy,(…), liberty, equality, (…) human dignity (…)”37 can be seen in many national curriculums, especially in the western world, but within the scope of Stephen Carney, it is interesting to see how it affects the individuals. In the specific context we are working with we see, in our interviews, that these girl highlights independency and equality between man and women, as being some of their core values. We also see that the teachers are approaching these individuals, with the girl of giving them a higher degree of awareness concerning their opportunities in life. Therefore there is a clear indication that these national values, which represents the global flows of the world, in many ways are both present in the teachers’ approach to the individuals as well as the fact that the individuals we interviewed seems influenced by these values. Thereby we have to acknowledge that ideologies in a global context will have an effect on our local communities and thereby the individuals. Although it might be an unconscious flow of ideas and values, the effect of this will still be that the world will become more unified in the sense that the global values will end up defining our local values. Though the global flow unavoidably moves the world toward a more unified common ground, clashes will still occur, when the local setting has problems accepting the ideas that are being constructed in global or national setting. We see this in the way these girls, and teachers, interact in the lesson described in Chapter 4.2, Ethnography. They are all still bound to old structures in the classes, despite aspiring to a more modern way of education. This is a clear indication of one of Carney’s points being that it is not always enough to just actively select a new way of thinking. Your cultural narrative has a strong say in whether or not you are able to process the outer inputs and ideas. Based on our knowledge of Prabhuji’s values, it is important to note that we cannot, with absolute certainty, conclude that the values of the Shamayita Math Convent school are enforced on the national‐ or global scale, or 37 http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Curriculum/Secondary/2014_15_Secondary_Curriculum_Volume_2.pdf (20.05.14) 72 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 if it is a result of coincidence of similar mind‐set. There is a clear indication that the values set in the national/global context can easily be conjoined with the values that derives from Prabhuji. We see, in our interviews, that both the pupils and the teachers aspire towards a more westernized approach to education, but at the same time we can see in our observations that much is needed to be done before it is a core part of their approach to education and learning cultures. In general the notions of the global/national scale effecting a local setting, can be seen broaden even further. Carney’s theory makes way for the idea that several factors can influence the subjectivation process of individuals. It is not to be seen as a straight line from a global setting to a local culture/community, but as a complex web of intertwined institutions and factors affecting the individual. An example of the complexity, which the individuals reside in, is how the informants in our interviews have an aspiration towards helping others. This aspiration can be rooted in Prabhuji’s philosophies where he states that God comes to light through expressions of love (see Chapter 4.2, Ethnography). At the same time the aspiration towards helping others might originate from the local culture, which we observed as being highly influenced by socialistic ideology. West Bengal has been dominated by socialist views for the better part of 40 years. Without much interpretation of the specific views that characterize socialism as an ideology, we can still draw comparisons between the socialistic values and the mentality of the people in the region. Throughout the individual interviews, it became evident that the informants emphasize the importance of helping others. This view on people in need, and the aspirations of helping them, is closely related to the socialistic values. The discourses mentioned in Chapter 6 can be used in the context of Carney’s theories, to understand the concept of Global Flows even further. 73 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 6.2 Social Constructionism When working in the field of social constructionism it is important to note and acknowledge the repeated use of specific words that these girls use when describing their life worlds. The most significant of these words are; obedience, discipline and independence. These words are very different in meaning but are all part of the same greater context, when applying social constructionism. These words generate different discourses within the social spheres. In the case of the girls, they are subject to multiple social spheres at once. The school, their after school lives, their online presence, their homes and their spiritual lives are among the many spheres they are subject to. It is within these spheres that the discourses are created through their interactions within. The different social spheres do not necessarily overlap or interact with one another, so the discourse of a given word can vary from sphere to sphere. However, the girls play a part in creating the discourse within the sphere, in the sense that they influence the sphere through their language and their social interactions. These discourses are an important part of their subjectivation process. In essence these girls sense of self is unavoidably connected to the discourses, and meanings, surrounding them and how they utilize them ‐ produce and reproduce meanings. A word such as obedience is used in a generally positive context. The girls see it as an important virtue in the sense that it is a part of their everyday life as well as their future. The use of this word gives us a clear indication that the word is being produced and reproduced in the girls’ social interactions at the convent school. We cannot determine whether or not it is part of a discourse laid out by the authorities in the school (mothers, teachers). It is possible that the discourse related to this word is being created in their own social interaction, but in the scope of social constructionism we can assume that the discourse, in its present state, is the result of a process. A process where the outside culture (outer world) implements the discourse into the girls sphere of social interaction. In this social interaction, the discourse would either be accepted and reproduced, alternated or discarded completely. A potential pitfall in relation to social constructionism in our specific context is the fact that English is their third or second language. So the reason for the three girls using and repeating the same 74 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 words, may simply be because these are the words they have learned at the school, so they have no real alternative available. However, if that is the case, they still receive the words in a specific sphere and thereby a discourse is developed, in the sense that they associate the words with their social sphere at the school. A hypothesis can be made that since they are living, studying and learning a new language at the convent school, the English language in itself becomes a social sphere since it is utilised for a specific purpose in a specific context. 6.3 Dencik As described in the theory section, Dencik works with the individuals’ perception of self in relation to the influencing factors surrounding the individual. Through our analysis of the interviews, several influential factors have been identified, which play important roles in the creation of the Informants perception of self. Dencik’s theory of dual‐socialisation determined that the child is not a passive recipient of outside influences, but a competent and active co‐creator of his or her own socialisation. He bases his argument on the fact that the child already from birth craves a sense of belonging and therefore seeks to achieve this through imitation and observation of a reference group. Socialisation occurs in different interaction situations where the child is included in interactions with other people in various social spheres. This teaches and provides the child with the needed knowledge of norms, behaviour and values that are appropriate/inappropriate in the society in which the child is situated. We will be applying the theory of dual‐socialisation to identify the role of the family, in relation to the role of the school, with the individual as the outcome. When applying the theory of dual‐ socialisation, one would typically investigate the importance of the socialisation made in school, as well as the social sphere at home with one’s family. However, our interviews have not been focused on the importance of family. This is because we originally underestimated the importance of family, an importance that became clear after reviewing the answers given in the interviews. All of the informants mentioned their families, even when the questions were not originally meant to take us in that direction. When this became obvious, we chose to reassess the importance of 75 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 family and will now further investigate its potential impact on the individual, in the light of Dencik’s dual‐socialisation theory. Within this theory we see that family plays a huge part, regardless of physical distance, in their socialisation. As described, two of the three informants embrace the fact that their future husbands will be chosen for them, by their parents, without them taking part in the decision. This shows how the socialisation, happening within the social sphere of the family, shapes their perception of their Life World. It has become apparent that the original model of dual‐socialisation will not suffice in the analysis of these different factors and their interplay in relation to the individual. Therefore we will also approach these factors from a multi‐lateral perspective, thereby taking the chosen factors into account. These factors are; family, school, global flows and local culture. We have been investigating three out of these four factors, throughout the analysis. Our reason for disregarding family as an influential factor is the fact that the informants live at the convent school and therefore do not see their families that often. It has to be noted, that even though they do not see their families on a daily basis, the family might still be a significant influence in their lives. However, the possibility of researching the families further did not present itself, given that we had no means of communicating with them. The Shamayita Math Convent School has been chosen as the second influential factor because the Informants live at the hostel, which is connected to the school, and therefore spend the majority of their time there. The school has also been chosen, due to the fact that Dencik in his original model (dual‐socialisation) identifies the institution of school as a key factor. To identify the importance of the socialisation made within the family, as well as its effect on the individual, we will point out specific sections of the interviews. As mentioned earlier, it has to be stressed that we did not fully interview the girls regarding their families, and that these sections of 76 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 the interviews therefore will be a result of the girls gradually changing the course of the interviews to more family focused topics. We have chosen to apply the models of dual‐ and multi‐lateral‐ socialisation on two of the informants. These two have been chosen to illustrate possible contradictions and the overall difference between the girls. We will be using the model of dual‐socialisation to analyse the Pilot Informant’s sense of self and perception of Life World. On the contrary, we will apply the model of multi‐lateral socialisation in the analysis of Informant 1 to achieve the same result as in the analysis of the interview with the Pilot Informant. We have chosen not to include the third informant (Informant 2) because the analysis as a result of the interview with her was very similar to our results from the interview with the Pilot Informant. 6.4 The Socialisation of the Pilot Informant To show the influence of the socialisation made within the social sphere of the family, we can look at the pilot interview we conducted. Here it was obvious that her family is of a patriarchal character. This especially came to show when she was asked about her future marital situation. “(…) My parents will choose the best for me I think (…) I am the small one in my family. I can face many difficulties (…) If my father has arranged marriage or me he can look after all the problems so it is the best for me. He will choose”. This quote has made the role of the father evident. He is superior, or at least considered the leader of the family. The socialisation made within the social sphere of the family, leaves a clear impression on how the Pilot Informant is undermined by her father, or at least inferior to him. In the middle of the quote mentioned above, she states that she is the smallest one in the family. It is assumable that she addresses either that she is the youngest, or the least influential member of the family. Later she states that she will face many difficulties in the future seeing that she is the least influential. In spite of the temporary fact that she may be facing many difficulties in the future, she seemed to be convinced that her father knows what is best for her; “(…) he can look after all the problems so it is the best for me. He will choose”. The role of the family members in this case, is based on the socialisation happening within the family. The Pilot informants view on the institution of marriage and furthermore, her view on the 77 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 hierarchy within her family, could arguably be a product of the socialisation made within the family. The effect or influence of the socialisation within the institution of the school becomes evident in the interview with the pilot informant and is expressed on several occasions. The first of these being; “(…) we get many general knowledge from here. (The convent school) (…)”. This quote, when viewed in relation to the rest of the interview, indicates that she is conscious about her education entailing more than just an academic foundation of knowledge. One of the main ideologies of the school is gender equality. The effect of this comes light trough the interview of the Pilot Informant; “(…) Girls are treated very backward (referring to society). So I want to be a settled one. I want to show that I am a girl, being a girl I can be … Uhm, I can be a talented one. I am the talented one. I want to show that, my talent, my interest to everybody”. In the beginning of this quote, she acknowledges that there in general is a hierarchal gap between men and women. When stating; “I want to be a settled one”, it is assumable that she will break the regional normative views on men being better than women. She states; “I am a girl. (…) I can be the talented one.” Here the meaning is obvious. She believes that she is capable of fulfilling her own dreams and living up to her talent. As mentioned earlier, the Shamayita Math Convent School acts as a local flagship of gender equality. For this reason it is assumable that the school has influenced the Pilot Informant and bestowed a general understanding of equality upon her. When she says; “I want to show that, my talent, my interest to everybody”, it can be understood that she feels individualised. She wants to be different and feel special, which is in accordance with Prabhuji’s and furthermore, the school’s, view on the originality of every human being. Prabhuji believes that everyone is unique and that the pathway to self‐liberation happens through the process of self‐ realisation. When comparing the results as a product of the socialisation process within the two different spheres, one obvious contradiction comes to show. This contradiction being the fact that the Pilot Informant speaks of gender equality, yet believes that her father is more capable of making the right decisions concerning her and her life. Here it could be argued, that her perception of self is a 78 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 result of the interactions within both social spheres, and a result of how she makes sense of the different spheres and the discourses within. Her reason for wanting her father to make choices on her behalf, may well be determined on him being male, yet she makes it sound like a rational decision based on practicalities. If she views the institution of marriage to be a practical matter, and bases the quality of a husband on practicalities and stability rather than on love, letting her father decide who she is to marry, may very well function as the best option in her pursuit of what she believes to be a successful life. Her own perception of self is therefore a product of the socialisation, taking place in both of these social spheres. This entails an active decision‐making process as well as a process of combining the discourses originating in the two different spheres. 6.5 The Socialisation of Informant 1 After having established the relation between the two social spheres and their effect on the individual’s perception of self, we will now move on to Informant 1. When reading the interview transcription it becomes obvious that family does not play as big a part in the life of Informant 1, when comparing to the Pilot Informant. This comes to show almost immediately in the interview when Informant 1 is asked if she misses her family; “(…) When I was new in this institution I missed, but no, not now because I am happy to live with this environment, so no need of missing.” Through this statement, it becomes obvious that family does not play an important role compared to the interview with the pilot informant. Furthermore this detachment from her family shows itself in the following quote where we asked Informant 1 whether she would decide who was to be her husband. She answered; “Yes I will decide because if my mother decides then I think I will not be comfortable with her decisions. I think to do love marriage in my decision because I will see him and see if he is perfect for me or not and I will see this by spending much time with him and how he will keep me happy”. Yet again, Informant one exhibits her detachment to her family. Throughout the interview, Informant 1 has no specific phrases or depicted values that might relate to what we would consider a product of the socialisation process within the social sphere of the family. 79 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 In the answering of one of the questions in the map, Informant 1 answered that the convent school offered her to become obedient and disciplined. When asked in the interview why this is important, she answered; “If I don’t be obedient one and if I don’t be disciplined one, then no one will follow my discipline, and no one will follow my obedience. If I want to be like that and if I want to be a respected one, then I should have that kind of attitude and behaviour”. This indicates that mutual respect is of importance to her. One of the more important tasks of the school is to create or shape the students in such a way that they not only gain academic knowledge, but simultaneously learn how to act respectably and treat others well. These values can be traced back to the teachings of Prabhuji, and by this, his inevitable influence on the socialisation occurring in the social sphere of the school. Another value that the convent school stresses to promote is the idea of independence. Informant 1 shows that she has been affected by this value through the socialisation process in the social sphere of the school; “If I don’t get higher education then I cant be a professor, and even I cant be an independent one. Every step of my life is connecting this”. Here, Informant 1 shows that she has been affected by the socialisation within the school, when acknowledging that the school is an unavoidable step in the process of gaining independence. Unlike the Pilot Informant, Informant 1 appears to be exposed to more than just dual‐socialisation. When asked why she did not miss her family, she stated that it was because of the friendships she has established at the convent school. This potentially indicates that she is exposed to more than two social spheres, where her friends seem to play a bigger role than her family. Throughout the interview, she stresses the importance of her friends, the Mothers, the teachers, Prabhuji, her aunt and her boyfriend. When reading the interview, it becomes evident that she clearly distinguishes between all of these different influences in the answering of the different questions. This indicates that Informant 1 draws on traits and values in accordance with the influence she has been exposed to within the different social spheres. Seeing that informant 1 is exposed to what potentially could be a numerous of different spheres, it would be more appropriate to apply the revised version of Dencik’s model of dual‐socialisation. This revised version is, as described in the theory section, the multi‐lateral socialisation. Dencik’s model of multi‐lateral socialisation displays 80 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 that more than two social spheres are in play, which clearly is the case for Informant 1. Socialising within these different social spheres and extracting the most important values according to ones own opinion, is what shapes ones perception of self according to Dencik. In other words, Informant 1’s Life World is influenced by many different social spheres but is ultimately determined by her ability to choose between the values of each sphere, as well as both knowingly and unknowingly able to distinguish between them. 6.6 Summation An overview of the collective interviews shows us that the informants are heavily influenced by the values of the school. Both of the informants stress the importance of school and view their education as an unavoidable step in the pursuit of success. It becomes evident that, the socialisation made when in school influences the informants’ perceptions of self. Prabhuji’s philosophies show themselves in the interviews with the informants, which clearly indicates the influence by this specific social sphere. A concrete example of this is clear in the informant’s aspirations. They both aspire towards high‐profile jobs where they can make a difference and they do not see their societal context as a potential hindrance. Furthermore it has to be noted that more than just two different social spheres may influence the Pilot Informant. If this is the case, it would have been more appropriate to analyse her interview by applying the model of multi‐lateral socialisation rather than using the model of dual‐socialisation. We did not do this due to the lack of potential influences in the interview where only two social spheres came to show. (Family and school) Conclusion This project makes the case that the process of making sense of ones self, for the girls at The Shamayita Math Convent School, is highly complex in character and that the students of the school are clearly influenced by different discourses in society. We have illustrated that the girls are influenced on several different scales. On the global‐, or national scale they are influenced through the discourse of general knowledge laid in the CBSE curriculum, this idea of making sure that students in India are prepared for life 81 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 after education, is an obvious part of the learning culture of the girls. They embrace this discourse and our data shows that the girls are influenced in the way that they highlight values such as equality and independence. At the same time this discourse is closely related to the philosophies of Prabhuji, and we cannot determine whether the individuals are mostly influenced by the national discourse or the local context. In fact, the philosophies of Prabhuji are likely empowering the national discourse as they are promoting the same value of general knowledge. A religious discourse is present in the everyday life of the girls. In the analysis of our data, it becomes obvious that the girls make active choices of the values they choose to embrace which indicates an individualization process. When analysed from the outside, a clash of these very specific values was expected. However, the active choices of the students as well as the picture we have created of their Life World indicates no knowledge of this clash, or at least no perception of it being a clash. They are merely deciding for themselves, both knowingly and unknowingly, which traditions and values to embrace. This emphasizes that an individualization process is clearly taking place. The fact that the students of the convent school do not see this as a clash becomes even more evident when they talk of their future. They make sense of themselves on the basis of different values, but their Life Worlds indicate no clash of values when talking about their aspirations of the future or values such as obedience or discipline. The philosophies of the convent school empower them in becoming individuals in a society where this is far from the norm. The different discourses influencing the girls and their Life Worlds are not discarded, merely alternated to how they make sense of themselves as individuals. In conclusion, we are well aware that we have been investigating what is essentially the tip of an iceberg. In the light of Carney and Dencik, we must acknowledge that the complexity of the global world in which we live, demands that the researcher must be able to adapt to the given problem area. In this specific context, we see various discourses in relation to the life worlds of the girls. How they interact and evolve as agents in their own process of becoming, must be approached through the use of several tools, methods and theories. However, what we were able to create through our analysis is merely an instantaneous picture. In order to create a complete and comprehensive understanding of their Life Worlds and the evolution thereof, it would be necessary to continue the research. Time is a non‐redundant part of the equation because the creation of their Life Worlds is a constant and never ending process. 82 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 Comments on literature The literature we have used for this project has mainly been in the early stages to establish a theoretical and methodical background. These two sections of our project form the entire basis for our further work and are therefore of great importance. In the theory section we have chosen to use a relatively broad fan of different theories. The way we do this is in the form of a bricolage; a method of mixing several theories in order to analyse data. The wide span of theories in our project was necessary due to the two different levels in our project. We needed theories and methods that would help us understand and investigate the outer world which influences the girls. The Inner World of the girls needed to be approached with a completely different set of theories and methods. These two levels then had to be compared to each other and this is where the bricolage comes into play. Whether or not combining different theories to create new methods is valid is the very core of this discussion. After creating the theoretical basis, we needed to create a context in which the project could be understood. Since our fieldwork takes place in India, we felt that the project would not make any sense to the reader if the reader did not have the necessary knowledge about the surroundings. This also meant gathering information about the schools curriculum, the CBSE Curriculum, which was available online. The authenticity of the CBSE Curriculum was verified for us at the convent school. We created ethnography observations of the schools surrounding area, so we had even more contextual knowledge to draw upon in the analysis. The ethnography is mostly based on first hand observations and talks with teachers, Mothers, Prabhuji and other locals. However, our stay in India was too short for us to create a complete ethnography so we had to supplement it with information found on the internet. This information was cross checked with other websites in order to be as sure as we possibly could that it was correct. An important part of the ethnography 83 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 was to paint a form of spiritual picture of the life at the convent school and the philosophies and values it is built around. Prabhujis book helped us to achieve this, since it is a thorough walkthrough of his philosophies. Glossary Learning Culture Our definition of learning cultures is derived from Hodkinson, Biesta, and James notion of the concept. It is to be understood as the field/environment in which you learn, experience and evolve as an individual. Qualitative interviews: A method of conducting interviews. Qualitative interviews focuses on constructing detailed data from few informants, rather than painting a picture of statistical data through quantitative methods. Prabhuji: The spiritual leader of Shamayita Math. He is perceived by the inhabitants in Shamayita Math, and the nearby village, as being a God, or in they own words: “our lord”. Maps and mapping: Mapping is a qualitative research method, which enables the investigator to create a framework for further qualitative research, such as interviews. For a more thorough explanation on the matter of maps and mapping see Chapter 3.5. Mothers: Shamayita Math is run by women. These women are called mothers and can be compared to western nuns, in the way that they have devoted their life to help this organization. By choosing to 84 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 devote their life to the spirituality and religion of Prabhuji, they at the same time exclude themselves from having family. Individuation process: The process of creating ones own identity as an active agent. NCF‐2005: National Curriculum Framework 2005 CBSE: Central Board of Secondary Education RTE‐2009: The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 Semi‐structured: “Semi‐structured” refers to our method of interviewing the girls. The interview questions were established prior to the interview but the overall course and length of the interview was entirely dependant on the answers given and new questions were spontaneously posed in cases where elaboration was needed. We did not want our structure to limit the girls but rather allow them to talk about what they found relevant to the questions. Symbolic violence: Symbolic violence is a phrase that describes a situation where an individual or group are unknowingly subjugated to certain oppressive societal values. There is no physical manifestation but rather, a general acceptance of these negative values. “Gender violence is perhaps the most obvious form of symbolic violence. Females are most likely to choose a male partner that is taller than them. Bourdieu believes this is the result – and 85 Semester Project Spring 2014 HIB 3.1.2 perpetuation – of symbolic violence: the female “willingly” choosing a taller partner because male domination has been misrecognized as a natural occurrence” ‐ http://peacejustice.msu.edu/exhibits/show/symbolic‐violence/meaning Shamayita Math: The name of the organisation in Ranbahal, West Bengal, India. It consist of several departments including a hospital, convent school, agriculture department etc. Math: The Bengali word “math” refers to campus or in general a specific place. 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