Concepts of the person among the Gurungs of Nepal

Abstract

Anthropologists have suggested that members of some cultures in South Asia lack a notion of individuality. Data from the Gurungs of Nepal show that a high value on interrelationship does not preclude a well‐defined concept of the individual. The Gurungs are a people for whom integration in a social network is of paramount importance, yet they conceive of the person as a discrete entity with distinct needs and impulses that may run counter to demands for social cohesion. Gurung concepts of the person reflect the importance placed on social embeddedness and a recognition of an individual being that is embedded. Concepts of individuality and relatedness and the ways in which they are articulated and reconciled express tensions inherent in South Asian social life. [South Asia, person, culture and experience]

Is spousal decision making a culturally situated phenomenon?

“…This research revealed that her power in decision making might be due to her aggressive personality, her skill in communication, her internal locus-of-control orientation, her relatively high level of self-esteem, her high involvement in decisions, her insouciant-natured spouse, or her relatively compliant husband. It is important to note that this research supports the writings and studies of other scholars (McHugh, 1989;Mines, 1988;Ramu, 1987, etc. ) in that Indians -including females -have personal goals and depict themselves as active agents in shaping the direction of their life courses.…”

“…For example, both McHugh (1989) and Mines (1988) state that Indians -including females -demonstrate autonomy and the expression of individuated personal goals, finding evidence for this in instances of rebellions against hierarchical expectations and the depiction of oneself as an active agent in shaping the direction of one's life course.…”

“…However, as can be seen by the examples just cited, there are Indian women who fit McHugh's (1989) and Mines's (1988) descriptions; that is, there are Indian females in all age groups who express individuated personal goals and opinions and who view themselves as active agents in shaping some important aspects of their lives.…”

The Three Selves of Adulthood: Cultural Conceptions of Self Among Oriya Hindu Women

“…Today, scholars acknowledge that there are likely to be multiple, contingent and historically evolving selves in most cultures (Nandy 1983;Fox 1996). There is also a growing recognition that Hindu conceptions of the self are more independent than earlier imagined (Ewing 1990(Ewing , 1991Lamb 1997: 297;McHugh 1989;Mines 1988;Parish 1994;Rudolph and Rudolph 1976), and Western senses of self less so (Ewing 1990(Ewing , 1991Murray 1993;Spiro 1993;Holland and Kipnis 1994). Despite this recognition, I still think that, along the continuum that stretches from 'interdependent' to 'independent', Hindu conceptions of the self tend toward the 'interdependent' end of the continuum, rather than the reverse.…”

“…In the last fifty years or more, a significant part of the scholarship devoted to studying the cultures of South Asia has explored Hindu ideas of the self and personhood (Bharati 1985;Daniel 1983;Dumont 1980;Ewing 1990Ewing , 1991Fox 1996;Lamb 1997;Markus and Kitayama 1991;Marriott 1976Marriott , 1987Marriott , 1990Marriott and Inden 1977;Mascalo et al 2004;McHugh 1989;Mines 1988;Misra 2010;Nandy 1983;Ortner 1995;Ostor et al 1982;Parish 1994;Parry 1994;Raheja 1988;Roland 1988;Shweder and Bourne 1984). It is impossible to do justice to this vast body of work, within the limitations of this essay, but let me briefly summarize scholarly understandings as they stand today.…”