Today: Cultural Issues

Religious DiversityHinduismIslamBuddhismSikhism

Language Population

Hinduism

Dominant over most of India and Nepal

Complex Hierarchical Social Roles Belief in transmigration of souls

through reincarnation

The Caste System

Socio-Historical Significance Main Groups:

BrahminsKshatriyasVaishyasSudrasDalits

Mohandas Gandhi South African Influence “Civil disobedience” Points of Protest

Unfair taxation Discrimination Poverty Liberation of Women Religious/Ethnic Peace End of Caste System Independent India

Ties to American Civil Rights Movement

The Law of Karma

The law of action and reaction Answers questions often difficult to

address in religion

Buddhism

Reaction to Hinduism Siddhartha Guatama Sri Lanka Himalayas

Tibetan Buddhism Four Noble Truths Noble Eight-Fold Path

Islam

Arrives 700 Covers Pakistan, Bangladesh, and

North India by 1700 Distinctly different than Hinduism Pakistan, Bangladesh, India Muslim

population ~400 million

1700

Sikhism

Punjab: 60% Sikh Combines elements of Islam and

Hinduism Principal components

Path to salvation is through disciplined meditation

Equality

Languages

Very diverse in terms of languageIndo-European FamilyDravidian FamilyTibeto-Burman Family

Colonial Impact: English

Population

India, Bangladesh and Pakistan together have ~1.4 billion people

Very young population Rapid growth rate: ~1.8% High, but decreasing Total Fertility Rate

India: 3.0 Pakistan: 4.8 Bangladesh: 3.0 Sri Lanka: 2.0

Life Expectancy: ~62 years

Population Cont.

Poverty>300 million India citizens below

poverty line60% of Bangladeshi children

malnourished

Economic Indicators

GNI per capita:Bangladesh: 1,770India: 2,650Pakistan: 1,960Sri Lanka: 3,510U.S.: 31,000

Status of Women

Low status in much of region due to Hindu and Muslim traditions

Skewed male: female ratiosNeglect of female childrenInfanticideBride Killing

Poor status of women is not everywhereEx: Kerala and areas of Northern

South Asia