Ch. 29 World Geography: Building a global perspective
Terms
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- Nationalism
- Nationalism is a strong loyalty to one’s country. Nationalism can also be defined as a desire to rule oneself as an independent state. In South Asia, nationalistic feelings were strong in the 1800’s in India. This was the time in which the English were settled in India, and Western style ideas of self-rule were fermenting among Indians
- Nonviolent resistance
- Nonviolent resistance is a way of protesting a governmental policy or decision without the use of violence. Refusal to cooperate and fasting are some nonviolent tactics seen throughout history. Mohandas Ghandi used nonviolent resistance to protest the actions of the British government around the turn of the twentieth century in India
- Boycott
- To boycott is to abstain from buying, or dealing with, or using something as a form of protest. As a protest against the British government, Mohandas Ghandi organized a boycott on British goods. This act was in effort to dismantle the British government in India
- Reincarnation
- Reincarnation is a religious belief that after you die, your soul becomes reborn into another body. Hinduism and Jainism practice this belief. The goal is to become so good in your past lives that you are perfect, and do not need to be reborn again. Buddhism practices a form of this belief called rebirth
- Caste system
- The caste system was the social division in India based on occupation. At the top of the caste grouping system was the Brahmin. The Brahmin consisted of priests of the Hindu religion. The next highest was the Kshatriya. This group consisted of rulers, warriors, and landowners. The third group in descending order was the Vaishya. This group was that of merchants. These top three groups were the twice born groups. Below the Vaishya group is the Shudra. The Shudra group is that of artisans and agriculturists. The lowest group is not considered a part of the Caste grouping system. These are the Harijan, or the Untouchables. A rule of the Caste system is that if you are born into a group, say the Vaishya, then you will be in the Vaishya forever
- Cottage Industry
- Cottage Industry—The cottage industry in India was once the main economic activity. This was when people worked in their own homes and used their own tools and equipment to complete jobs. This industry virtually came to a halt when the British government took over
- Irrigate
- Irrigation is the act of providing water to crops by way of canals and/or ditches. Irrigation is majorly important in Pakistan, especially since it only gets 10 inches of rain per year. The water that irrigation provides in South Asia makes agriculture possible
- Hydroelectric power
- Hydroelectric power is power made by the movement of water. Hydroelectricity stations are set up along the water basins of most of Pakistan’s agricultural areas. Embankment dams are used along the Indus River, especially the Tarbela Dam, to produce hydroelectric power
- Malnutrition
- Malnutrition is a condition of being underfed, or fed an unbalanced diet. In Bangladesh, this is a major problem due to overpopulation. With as almost as many people as Canada and Mexico combined into an area about the size of Wisconsin, the population is growing faster than the food supply
- Deforestation
- Deforestation is a major problem in Sri Lanka. At one point, this small country was covered in thick forests, but agriculture and development has led to two thirds of those trees to be cut down. Many scientists believe this has caused weather changes and draughts
- Mohandas Gandhi
- Mohandas Gandhi (sometimes called Mahatma) was one of the founding fathers of an independent Indian state. He started a boycott against the British cloth suggesting handspun cloth as a substitute. He also performed many hunger strikes as nonviolent resistance to the British rule
- Islam
- Islam is the religion that is prominent in the Middle East and Pakistan of South Asia. Islam is a monotheistic religion in which followers (called Muslims) worship their god named Allah. Some of the most commonly practiced laws are ones requiring all women to hide their faces with veils and men to cover their heads at all times
- Sikhism
- Sikhism is a religion that teaches that all religions worship the same god, which they call One God. Sikhism also teaches the rules of the Ten Gurus and the Sahib, or the Sikhism holy book. Throughout history, Sikhs have been discriminated against because of tragedies such as the September 11th attacks, and the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Some places have tried to ban children from wearing outside signs of religious beliefs, going against Sikh, Islam, and Jewish customs
- Hindu
- A Hindu is a follower of Hinduism. Hinduism is a religion that believes in reincarnation. Followers worship several gods including Shiva. This religion is generally a peaceful one and teaches about karma, how your actions will eventually get back at you whether it be good or bad
- Al-Qaeda
- Al-Qaeda is an Islamic militant group established in 1988 to further opposes Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The founder is the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin-Laden. Al-Qaeda’s view is that Westernized values and culture are against that of the Islamic faith. This group gained worldwide attention when they performed suicide attacks on New York City and Washington DC on September 11th, 2001
- Taliban
- The Taliban was the Islamist government that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001. The head of state was Mullad Muhammad Omar, and he imposed laws that prevented women from leaving their houses and kites from being sold. His reasoning was men were using everyday activity to spy on women, even though they almost never were. The people of Afghanistan were so oppressed, that they almost couldn’t do anything normally without breaking the law
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. He was also the leader of the socialist branch of the Indian National Congress when India was still working towards independence from Great Britain. He held the office of Prime Minister for 18 consecutive years until his death in 1964
- Partition
- To partition is to divide into parts. In 1947, Britain partitioned India and Pakistan into two different states by religious majority. The reasoning behind this was the conflicts going on between religious groups. After the partition, Pakistan, the Muslim state, and India, the Hindu state, still fought, and have fought three wars against each other
- Charpoy
- Charpoy is usually the only furniture to be found in rural Indian cottages. Theses wooden bed frames have knotted string in place of a mattress. When the weather outside is hot, the people drag these beds out into the courtyard, to be cooler
- Sari
- A sari is the traditional dress-like garment women in India wear. This garment is made of bright colored cloth draped over the body like a long dress. This loose attire is typical of this region and other places with hot, humid climates
- Purdah
- Purdah is a custom among Muslims that requires women to cover their faces with a veil. Although this is a mostly Muslim tradition, Hindus sometimes follow it too, but to a lesser extreme. Muslim women completely hide their faces with layers and layers of black cloth. Hindus usually just wear a thin one if they observe Purdah
- Joint family system
- A joint family system is one in which all members of the extended family on both sides live together. In this system, the children take care of the animals such as goats, sheep, or chickens. The older children carry water and help in the fields. The elderly in the household stay home and complete the lighter jobs around the house
- Embankment dam
- An embankment dam is a wall of dirt and rock built to hold back water. The Tarbela Dam was built to hold back the seasonal changes of the Indus river, making one of the largest embankment dams, holding back the most water. Embankment dams can also be used to produce hydroelectricity
- Buffer state
- A buffer state is a nation separating two hostile countries. Afghanistan has become a buffer state between Russia and Britain after they were both seeking power in south Asia in the 1800’s. Then Russia marched into Afghanistan in 1979, but the US trained and armed Afghanis to defend themselves
- Civil disobedience
- Civil disobedience is very similar to nonviolent resistance. It can be defined as disobeying an unjust law without the use of violence or fighting. Mohandas Gandhi performed this when he did hunger strikes and boycotts