Journal of Society in Kashmir

Sociology

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 2249-667X

Agriculture seems to be the main source of livelihood in India as the Census 2011 states that approximately 68.84 percent of the total population in rural areas is engaged in agriculture in many ways. Some of them have ownership rights on land while others are landless labourers. These two classes of owners of land and landless labourers are dependent on each other to fulfil their needs since the former class requires labourers to perform agricultural operations. In contrast, the latter class fulfils survival needs by working in the fields of people of the former class. However, many sources of jobs have grown in rural areas where people can work to supplement their income/fulfill their needs; still the condition of landless labourers is very critical. This chapter explores the impact of government developmental schemes on the lifestyles of people engaged in agriculture. For this purpose published literature on agrarian structure, globalization and agrarian policies are analyzed.

This article studies the use of Twitter as a newsgathering and news sharing tool by journalists in the region of Kashmir. The recent spurt in the number of Twitter accounts of media organizations and individual journalists from the region suggests their increasing reliance on Twitter as a source of news while connecting and integrating them with wider journalistic processes and practices at national and global levels. Although such networked news production and news dissemination can be enabling, especially given that the region is embroiled in perpetual conflict and marred by clampdowns on media freedom, the fear that it compromises journalistic principle of fact checking and verification of truth takes away from the euphoria of such a technological transformation of the profession. Interviews with journalists show that they embrace Twitter more for ease of work and to expand their sphere of influence than to improve the quality of their reportage.

Cancer is a major global health issue, surpassing cardiovascular disease as the second major cause of death worldwide. Rising cancer incidence due to a variety of factors highlights the need to better understand the prevalence patterns at the local level in order to improve the availability and accessibility of healthcare facilities. This empirical study is an attempt in this regard. It explores and describes the prevailing trends and patterns of cancer in the Kashmir valley in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the descriptive analysis of a total of 2365 registered cases of various cancers in one of the major tertiary care health centres, this paper finds that the major forms of cancer affecting people in the research area are related to the gastro-intestinal tract (42.5 percent), followed by the thoracic (25.5 percent) systems of the human body. Among males, lung cancer (6.4 percent) is the commonest cancer, while among females, the leading cancer site relates to the breast (6.3 percent) across all ages. Further, the interviews with various health care specialists also revealed the same pattern of cancer prevalence in Kashmir. The overall findings of this study suggest that no large population-based epidemiological studies have examined cancer patterns in the Kashmir valley. The site-specific studies will elucidate epidemiological variations and recommend cancer prevention strategies.

This study examines the situation of the scheduled tribe, also known as the tribal people, using government statistics to examine their role in development, means of subsistence, and degree of integration into the contemporary Indian forest economy. The research work is based on microstudies undertaken to bring out the forest dependence of tribal. The study is undoubtedly efficient and capable of addressing the informal aspects of household and economic tasks that large official surveys are unable to cover. However, despite some imprecision, a single countrywide survey with one of the best designs imaginable has the advantage of recording the formal relationships as well as the general picture in a balanced and comparative manner. The study makes an argument that there is a possibility for both ecological and economic benefits from integrating tribal people into the contemporary forest-based economy.

Times have always been historically hard on women in India, partly due to the intense patriarchal nature of our culture and partly due to the fact that men have always considered the female of the species to be inherently weaker than them. This weakness can be associated to their child bearing and rearing certitude in the life cycle. The absence of brute strength in women, which has been utilised to characterize the majority of men for perpetuity, in songs, ballads and countless tales of bravery has contributed immensely to the mentality of female inferiority. Men have consistently imparted the household activities and taking care of their children to women and passed it off as their duties. The birth of a girl child was considered to be a significant encumbrance and they were trained specifically for carrying out household work for their future husbands. Violence on women was considered a daily affair and those who would dare to speak against the undeniable oppression were effectively silenced. This paper focuses primarily on the actuality of the hardships, cruelty and lack of sympathy faced and experienced by the women in pre and post partitioned Jammu based on the Dogri short stories and narrations by prominent Dogri writers like Madan Mohan Sharma, Om Goswami, Shakunt Deepmala etc.

Malnutrition among children in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) poses a critical challenge, exacerbated by urban poverty and rapid urbanization. While urban spaces are often seen as hubs of opportunity, they also concentrate socio-economic disparities that disproportionately affect marginalized populations, including children. This paper aims to highlight the depth of child malnutrition in urban Jammu and Kashmir, analyzing the structural drivers such as food insecurity, healthcare inequities, and poor sanitation in slums and informal settlements. Additionally, the prevalence of gender disparities within these communities often results in unequal access to nutrition and healthcare for female children. Existing government interventions, though significant, have yet to fully address the underlying systemic barriers that perpetuate malnutrition. This study underscores the need for targeted policies to address the growing malnutrition crisis in urban areas of J&K, emphasizing the importance of a multi-sectoral approach that encompasses healthcare, education, and social welfare to ensure sustainable and holistic improvements in child well-being.

Social media has transformed the way individuals communicate, express opinions, and engage with society, becoming a powerful tool for shaping public discourse. However, this unprecedented digital revolution has brought with it significant legal and sociological challenges, particularly in the context of freedom of speech, content moderation, privacy, and misinformation. In India, with its vast and diverse population, these issues are further magnified, necessitating a comprehensive examination of the legal frameworks governing social media and their societal implications. This article examines the relationship between social media regulation and sociological dynamics in India, with a focus on the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with its amendments, including the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It analyzes the conflict between constitutional guarantees of free speech under Article 19(1)(a) and reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2), highlighting key judicial interventions. The paper highlights the challenges of misinformation, hate speech, privacy concerns, and mass surveillance, assessing their impact on public order and individual rights. Furthermore, it examines the judiciary's pivotal role in shaping a balanced regulatory framework. Finally, the article offers thoughtful recommendations for fostering a socially equitable and legally robust approach to social media regulation, ensuring that democratic values, individual freedoms, innovation, privacy rights, and public trust are upheld in the contemporary dynamic digital age.