Alexander Stille, "The Ganges' Next Life" and:
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Stille and Armstrong: The "Death of God" in the East and in
the West
When Armstrong refers to the future of God, she has in mind primarily
the notions of God embraced by theologians and philosophers in Western
Europe and the United States. In "Ganges Next Life," however, Alexander
Stille offers a portrait of religious life among Hindus in South Asia.
After reading both Armstrong and Stille, would you say that the "death
of God" is a problem only for the West? What forces does Amstrong identify
with the gradual decline of religious conviction? Given what Stille tells
us about India, are those same forces at work in Veer Bhadra Mishra's
world, or does his society face challenges very different from the ones
that Armstrong describes?
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Alexander Stille, Amy Chua, and Eric Schlosser
Stille spends a good deal of "The Ganges' Next Life" considering what he calls "the complex double identity" of Mishra. Drawing on examples from all three essays and what you have learned about globalization from these essays, I want you to think about how globalization contributes to mixed and conflicting identities. How does globalization relate to "complex double identities," your own and those described in the texts? You may focus on your own identity by setting it in relation to examples in the texts or entirely on those described in the texts. You may consider how globalization contributes to conflicting identities and also consider the problems and advantages such identities offer in a global world.
Questions to get you started:
Exactly what is a "complex double identity"? Does everyone have one? Compare and contrast figures from the different texts to arrive at your definition. How do examples from Chua and Schlosser differ from the model offered by Mishra? What difficulties and strengths do the conflicts in Mishra's identity create? How is identity developed? What is the role of media in creating identity? What examples of double identity seem closest to your own experience? To what degree is your identity double, triple, or complex? In what ways is your identity related to globalization?
Sally Sevcik, Rutgers University, Spring 2005
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Power, Civilization, and the Self (Assignment 3)
Alexander Stille uses the Ganges River as a focus for religion, science (or technology), politics, and international cooperation in the face of imminent environmental disaster. If the river is to have a “next life”—at least for humankind—it seems there will have to be changes made in local religious and scientific practices, as well as in local and international politics. Drawing on ideas and concepts from Stille, Gould, and Boyarin, discuss the following: How might globalization affect the relationships between religion, science, and politics in the Third World?
Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
From Power, Civilization, and the Self.
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Power, Civilization, and the Self (Assignment 4)
In “The Ganges’ Next Life,” Alexander Stille writes about India as a traditional country that offers no resistance to outside influence, and yet somehow remains “impregnable” (549). In “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell writes that “the reason most of us [as individuals] seem to have a consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment” (191). Basing your ideas on the evidence presented in both essays, address the following: What is the relationship between control and character, when it comes to a country? In what ways, and to what extent, is the character of a society influenced by the control that that society attempts to exert, both over its own members and over external influences?
Remember to play “devil’s advocate.” That is, at some point in your paper discuss the position that is the opposite of the position you are arguing.
To get started with the assignment, do some writing on the following questions:
1. What does Stille mean when he writes that India is “impregnable”?
2. What is Gladwell’s “power of context” argument, exactly? What is a “tipping point”?
3. Do you think that Gladwell’s power of context argument supports Stille’s idea that a “wide-open” society like India can remain “remarkably itself”? Why or why not?
Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
From Power, Civilization, and the Self.
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