Belonging and control in population history

According to the 2010 census, China had a population of 1.33 billion, of which 8% belonged to the 52 ethnic minorities ranging in size from about 4,000 to 17 million people. This paper presents an analysis of the 2010 census data pertaining to the 18 ethnic groups which had a population in excess of 2 million persons each. Corresponding data for the majority Han have been used for comparative purposes. Many minorities differ from the majority Han in terms of their cultural, linguistic and even religious affiliations.

Our findings indicate that historically ethnic minorities experienced higher annual rates of population growth. These have been declining and more recently they are even slightly lower than the growth rate for the Han. Overall, the ethnic minorities are younger and experience higher levels of fertility and mortality. They are generally concentrated in certain areas, mostly around the borders of China. They rank much lower in terms of socio-economic indicators such as education and occupation and labour force participation. While there has been progress during the past decades, the benefits of China’s rapid economic development have not been enjoyed by most of the ethnic minorities to the same extent as the Han.

Marriages in India are essentially endogamous in nature. The influences of western education and socio-economic transformations have led to enormous change in the existing pattern of choosing one’s life partner and marriage practices in India. For the first time, this paper presents a comprehensive empirical assessment of the extent of mixed marriages by analyzing nationally representative data from the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2005). We consider mixed marriages in the following key aspects: Inter-caste marriage, Inter-religious marriage and Inter-economic group marriage (Inter-class marriage). The trend analyses reveal that the proportion of inter-caste and inter-religious marriages has doubled in the last two and half decades. With the exception of inter-class marriages, the absolute level of mixed marriages is still exceedingly small. Besides, there are substantial variations across the states. Regression analyses show a significant socio-economic differential in the occurrence of mixed marriages. The study reveals that a very few women have the freedom to choose their spouse. These findings assume importance in the context of an increasing number of ‘honour killings’ in India in the recent years.

The Internet has massively altered the global information flow in a given population. Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others, make it easy for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing population to communicate with the rest of the world. The effect of Internet use on social relationships is still a matter of intense debate. While there is a burgeoning literature on the role of ICT in the creation of new forms of social networks, dubbed on-line communities, much less attention has been paid to the complex set of relationships which are emerging between some off-line communities and the internet, and in particular to some of the new spatiality that is emerging as a result of community-based ICT practices. This paper develops this work by focusing on the social media networks (SMN) among Deaf Population and its demographic outcomes. The paper then goes on to explore how Deaf people are using the social media to communicate with each other and how the SMN and internet is contributing to the re-spatialisation and scaling-up of Deaf community, while having other unanticipated effects on mobility of Deaf population.

Based on the question proposed by Neil J. Diamant, our study sorted out the families-laws for 1950-1953, 1954-1966, 1966-1968, and displayed the process of extracting concept from the politicalizing laws. Furthermore, we summarized the reasons of families powered thoroughly by state. Firstly, the consensus of state in charge of families is the basis of culture to produce it. Secondly, the degree of state’s legitimacy authorized by demos is the crutch of it. Thirdly, the unintended results of policies and the state’s scattered makes penetration unprincipled. Finally, Confucian culture in China further consolidated this way of state-family interaction.

Women’s nutrition and health status is central to the quality of their lives and it is the key determinant for the survival of future generations to come. Women are also the main providers of informal health care to other members of the household in developing countries. It is generally argued that economic growth and prosperity brings means of health care and nutrition within the reach of all sections of society. Haryana is one such state in the country which has attained distinction in food grains production and is ranked among top states in terms of availability of infrastructure. Through this paper, attempt has been made to study the women’s nutrition and health status in Haryana. The paper is based on primary data obtained from 16 villages spread over 8 districts in Haryana which represent 4 distinct groups in terms of similarities and differences in various health and demographic parameters. Nutritional status of women has been studied by their body mass index (BMI), while health status has been studied in preventive and curative care. Preventive care is ante-natal care during child bearing stages and institutional or safe deliveries and curative care is measured as visit to doctor in case of any ailment. Determinants of women’s nutrition have been discussed with reference to socio economic characteristics of households.

Cambodians socio-economy was changed from socialist to capitalist in the 1989. As almost Cambodian people (96.9%) follow the Buddhist practice (Census 2008), but why Cambodian young people celebrate Valentine’s Day which is coming from Western culture recent years?

A new Valentine’s Day phenomenon were explore related to love and sexual relationship among young couples in Phnom Penh aged 15-24 years old on Valentine’s Day 2008. The qualitative results showed that more than half of the interviewees in the study were happy to engage in sex on that day and at least a few of them lost their virginity. Although most reported using condoms, several instances of coercion were also reported. There seems to be a lack of parental understanding about their children’s sexual activity and a corresponding lack of open communication. (Soprach, 2009)

The quantitative descriptive study 458 young people were interviewed in a two week prior Valentine’s Day in Phnom Penh in 2009. The quantitative results showed that 12.4 percent of young people will be able to have sex upcoming Valentine’s Day. Alarmingly, 66 percent of males planned to have sex with their partners regardless of consent. (Soprach, 2010)

Interventions should be continued and targeted young people and their parents before and on Valentine’s Day.

The social change observed in the studies undertaken so far in the developed countries like USA and Europe’s cites significant relationship changes between agrarian and non-agrarian societies. The cities have been using the surplus labour from the farms in order to prosper the industries it has started producing goods meant primarily for their own consumption. The communities living around the rural hinterland tend to impact the socio-cultural characteristics of the local communities by its dominant numerical strength. The demise of the cultural values of the residents after the urban sprawl catches them are more so evident in the cities in northern India particularly those of Delhi NCR.

The villagers tend to change the occupation pattern as a result of urbanisation, the constant loss of agricultural land over the periods has also affected the social changes within the community such land ownership, marriages, cultural events etc. What would be scope for the preservation of cultural forms in society? How the villages inside the urban complex maintain its identity? How massive influx of people, and changes in land use affects villagers relationships with others in rural hinterland.

Caesarean delivery has been increasing world-wide raising the question of the appropriateness of the selection of delivery for the caesarean procedure. This increasing trend of caesarean delivery in India attracts researchers to study its correlates. In this paper an attempt has been made to examine the relationship between risks of caesarean delivery with female’s pre-pregnancy obesity, delivery complications and socio-demographic variables using NFHS-III data for Uttar Pradesh the most populous state of India. The increase in caesarean section cannot be attributed entirely to the rise in institutional deliveries alone because it was observed a strong association between caesarean sections and private sector institutions. The risk of undergoing caesarean section in the private sector is about three times higher than that in the public sector. It is worthwhile mention that the study clearly shows that the risk of caesarean delivery is four times higher in obese women in comparison with non obese women. The younger and educated women are more likely to prefer caesarean delivery as compared to their counterparts. It might be possible that this surgical procedure is being misused for profit purposes in the private sector or being deliberate choice of female to avoid labor pain.

Understanding the perceptions people in a particular society have about malaria is a valuable socio-cultural factor necessary for its control. Studies however done in Upper East Region about the socio-cultural issues of malaria are limited. A cross sectional study was conducted in Chuchuliga, an irrigation community in the Builsa District of the Upper East Region, to find out the perceptions people have about malaria, and their treatment- seeking behaviours. The simple random sampling technique was used to draw 53 households. Descriptive statistics were employed for the quantitative data analysis, while the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis from a focus group discussion and interviews. The study finds that while people in Chuchuliga have adequate knowledge on the causes and symptoms of malaria, they do not know how the disease is transmitted. Their treatment strategies and attitudes towards the disease are also poor; as they indulge in practices like taking left-over drugs and indiscriminate drinking of concoctions prepared from plants. Men in Chuchuliga are the vulnerable group to malaria because of such socio-cultural factors as funeral celebrations, farming practices and alcoholism. Sensitisation on malaria and alcoholism is therefore necessary for effective control of malaria in Chuchuliga.

Suicide is not only linked to individuals’ psychological distress, but more fundamentally, it is a product of social and cultural conditions. Although previous research starting from Durkheim’s theory on solidarity generally suggests a negative association between social integration and suicide rates, few studies have explored the subject across different regions of the world. This study demonstrates how various social relationships are related to the prevalence of suicide differently by region. It uses multilevel regression models to analyze data from 42 countries that represent East Asia, Latin America, English-speaking countries, and Europe. The results show that East Europe has the highest suicide rates, followed by East Asia, North Europe, West Europe, North America, South Europe, and then Latin America. Although in general more integrated social relationships are associated with lower suicide rates, social relationships carry unequal weights in different regions. For example, marital dissolution predicts significantly higher suicide rates in East Asia and South Europe. Religious participation is linked to less suicide in Latin America but more suicide in East Asia and West Europe. The findings indicate that similar forms of social relationships may function dissimilarly in different cultural and institutional settings.