The Murder of MP Jo Cox.

What strikes me from the initial readings is how much gender can comment on citizenship, and in my ignorance, it is not a link I have considered before. What fascinates me is how citizenship has meant different things to different genders. In a simple form, women did not have the right to vote in the UK until 1918. This creates a stigma, this creates a legacy and most importantly it creates double standards within our society's fundamental grasp of citizenship.

Last Summer, MP Jo Cox was fatally attacked outside a Library. Jo was a much loved MP who was married and a mother died in a savage act, but what really happened? What followed was the politicians and their generalized groans of "sympathies" and "loss." What didn't follow was a real address about what the attack represented. In a summer where we fell out of love with Europe and anything different from ourselves. If Ed Balls or Michael Gove had been murdered there would have been a call to arms, maybe even a war announced. But alas, a lovely female politician gets savagely attacked in broad daylight and all we can do is a few glossy articles in the press and on Facebook. I think the lack of grief and attention shown to her murder is disgusting. I also think that it shows what our nation is generally and that is a group of people that engage with the different in an immediate negative perspective which is void of clear reasoning. A murder of Jo Cox did not send the general public rioting on the streets as they did in London years before but instead it was lining the paper bins only days later. Why was this murder so forgotten and why was it just normalised in "that crazy summer we voted leave" when someone can shoot a politicain in broad daylight and it not be a major event.

I am suggesting that the reason for her murder being so underwhelming in the public sphere is because of her gender. I am being deliberately controversial, but I believe had she been male then there would have been much more of a reaction. This is of course totally wrong and superficial, but something I think has notions of truth in it.

Provacation; Female MPs do not carry much political power and respect as Male MPs based simply on their gender.... Had Jo Cox been a male MP then it would have caused a much bigger reaction? Do you agree/disagree?

BUDDHIST THEATRE IN INDIA : ASHVAGHOSHA AND HIS DRAMA

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                            ASHVAGHOSHA is regarded as the earliest Indian  Sanskrit dramatist who was also a Buddhist scholar of great fame. he born in Since 78  in 1st century B.C.  He was however later on attracted by the doctrine of Lord Buddha and became one of the four runners of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. As per the emblems of his own work his mother was Suvarnaksi. 

Plays of Ashvaghosa 

                             Ashvaghosa's famous work is the Buddhacarita, a court epic in excellent style and spirit on the life of the Buddha. . The Saundarananda is another famous work of Ashvaghosa, which is in the epic manner devoted to the effective exposition of Buddhism. Three Buddhist dramas have been discovered from the fragments of manuscripts on palm-leaf, at Turfan By Prof. H. Luders of Berlin . One of them named Sariputraprakarana is ascribed to Ashvaghosa, who was a contemporary of Kanishka. The drama has nine acts and its theme is based on the events which led up to the conversion of the young Maudgalayana and Sariputra by the Buddha. The drama has a close relation with the classical type as laid down in the Natyasastra. The other two dramas of the same manuscript may also be attributed to Ashvaghosa because they have the same appearance as the Sariputraprakarana. One of them is allegorical and no earlier specimen of this type of drama than the Prabodhacandrodaya of Kisnamisra is known. In this drama one can find the allegorical figures of Buddhi (wisdom), Kirti (fame) and Dhriti (firmness) appearing and conversing. Ashvaghosa usually conThe Sutralankara mentions a Buddhacharita that was probably authored by Ashvaghosa. In the conclusion of the composition he mentions the purpose which led him to adopt the Kavya form. Since he makes no reference to any earlier poem Saundarananda can be considered as his first attempt. This poem deals with the legend of the conversion of the reluctant Nanda, his half-brother, by Buddha. He deals with it in the standard manner of the later Kavya. He starts with an account of the foundation of Kapilavastuthat displays his knowledge of heroic tales and mythology. 

                          Ashvaghosa's poem, as far as choice of incident and arrangement are concerned, produces maximum effect. He renders vivid and affecting descriptions to the scenes. It is believed that he is the first Sanskrit dramatist as well as considered as the greatest Indian poet preceding Kalidasa. He belonged to the group of Buddhist court writers whose epics rivalled the contemporary Ramayana.  It was also believed that Ashvaghosa has been the author of the influential Buddhist text Awakening of Mahayana Faith. He is also considered to be the composer of the Mahalankara. fined to religious themes. 

Welcome!

Dear JNU & Warwick students,

This is your blog to exchange ideas, thoughts, case studies and responses to our shared theme of Gendered Citizenship.

Here are some guidelines and timeline to help you use the blog most effectively:

A) Friday, November 4th - After the class, in your own time, please team up to formulate provocations for your colleagues in JNU and Warwick, respectively:

Team up in small groups to send 3 provocations to each other (Warwick to JNU/ JNU to Warwick), each should contain: 1) a brief reflection on one aspect of the material that has been studied in class 2) an example that hasn't been studied in the class 3) an image that relates in some way to the above (it can illustrate, or contradict it in some ways) 4) and a question.

B) In the following 2-3 days please respond to the provocations sent to you (this can be in forms of comments, or counter questions, or through visual means or examples)

C) After that you team up in small groups so that at each side of the conversation (Warwick & JNU, respectively) you will be creating non-discoursive  responses to one aspect of the Gendered Citizenship material based on material studied and/or ideas that have arisen through the blog exchange. Non-discursive means a response that uses embodied practice to comment, critique and/or ask further questions. This can be through performance, movement, images, voice, visuals (i.e. installation), and also words... In short, it's should be a creative response to the material and needs f course to be recorded. This should be finished and uploaded via dropbox (which Ameet has set up) no later than November 26

On Friday, November 25th in class, we will review all the contributions from JNU and Warwick, then link again with each other to respond and discuss.

Looking forward to our exchange,
Silvija