Ekta Chauhan and Sanjana Anand
This paper studies the role of heritage walks and tours in promoting inclusive education. It assesses if these walks are an effective method of exhibiting culture and facilitating…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper studies the role of heritage walks and tours in promoting inclusive education. It assesses if these walks are an effective method of exhibiting culture and facilitating inclusive heritage learning. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to establish that walks can play an imperative role in creating greater sensitivity towards heritage and conservation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a case study approach using mixed methods. Participants for qualitative interviews were chosen using purposive sampling and six interview schedules were sent to walk leaders. Walk participant data were collected through participant observation and standardised survey with randomly selected participants of the case walks. Surveys were sent to participants electronically.
Findings
Heritage walks play a crucial role in not only imparting knowledge about history and heritage but also as a tool for learning other crucial skills, competencies, values, attitudes, etc. This paper attempts to highlight that walks are an effective and inclusive way to shed light on the alternative and forgotten stories. As an educational tool these walks can not only encourage the development of historical knowledge and appreciation but also assist in the development of competency to “de-construct” mainstream “grand narratives”, questioning and learning about the forgotten.
Research limitations/implications
This paper has limited itself to the study of select cases in New Delhi. Since the study has followed a case study design, it does not produce a largely generalizable result, but rather examines and understands the dynamics of particular walks and produces insights that may well be applicable in other contexts. Whilst this paper makes an attempt to understand the changes in perception and attitudes, it does not study behavioural changes.
Social implications
In the long run, walks allow for meaningful citizen engagement with tangible heritage such as monuments as well as intangible heritage such as practices and festivals. This allows for appreciation for the value of heritage resources and leads to a demand for better conservation and preservation from the authorities. In a few cases, local citizens themselves lead heritage management and development activities in a bid to promote their local culture. This paper has shown that heritage walks can be helpful tools in giving “forgotten” voices and stories recognition in contemporary society.
Originality/value
As heritage walks have recently gained popularity, there has been very limited research in the field especially linking heritage walks to heritage education. This is especially true for India. Even a city like New Delhi, which boasts of a robust heritage and is one of the tourism hubs of the country, heritage walks have been a very recent phenomenon. This research aims to address this lacuna in academic research and contribute meaningfully to the field of heritage education and conservation by studying how heritage walks support and promote inclusive heritage education.
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Sudha Shashwati, Sanjana Sarin, Umang Jain and Sanna Singh
This study aims to explore the experiences of individuals in India who acted as informal crisis volunteers during the peak of the deadliest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the experiences of individuals in India who acted as informal crisis volunteers during the peak of the deadliest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory, qualitative design was used, and data gathered via a qualitative survey in three focus areas, namely, motivation, challenges and coping mechanisms. The sample (n = 112) comprised individuals (mean age = 21.89 years) whose volunteering efforts during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were extended as part of volunteer groups or individually, online or offline, for minimum of 10 consecutive days to four months. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis (Mayring, 2000) were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Most of the participants reported being inspired by social media activism to become crisis volunteers themselves. They also spoke of several human rights violations unfolding around them, namely, people denied right to health (availability and accessibility), rampant discrimination of various kinds and other systemic failures in crisis response by government bodies. Several reported undergoing extreme mental duress during the process, experiencing or witnessing harassment and dealing with corruption. A sense of collective identity and opportunities to engage in collective sense making and collective catharsis with fellow volunteers were reported as the most helpful coping mechanism.
Originality/value
Very little is known about the experience of informal crisis volunteers who assisted the public health system in India in various capacities during the pandemic. This paper explores those experiences, sheds light on various human rights violations that took place during the time and provides a glimpse into the potential of technology and social media in organized altruistic efforts.
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Keywords
The purpose of this study is to understand the evolution of “marketing” in the public and corporate discourse of twentieth-century India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the evolution of “marketing” in the public and corporate discourse of twentieth-century India.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws its inferences from an analysis of the digital Times of India and Financial Times historical newspaper databases, the corporate archives of two leading Mumbai-based firms – Godrej in consumer goods and Cipla in pharmaceuticals and oral histories of marketing managers.
Findings
The paper identifies four eras of “marketing” in twentieth-century India. Era I (1910-1940) saw the emergence of agricultural “marketing boards” and “marketing officers” in the public sector and the growth of Indian and multinational advertising agencies. Era II (1940-1970) witnessed the formation of management and advertising associations and business schools with close involvement of American players. In Era III (1970-1990), there was a paradigm shift as “marketing” grew in corporate discourse and firms began to employ “marketing managers” in “marketing departments”. Era IV (1990-till date) witnessed the explosion of “marketing” in public and corporate discourse alongside the consumption boom in India. The paper shows how “marketing” evolved separately in the public and private sectors and in different phases as compared to that in the West.
Research limitations/implications
This paper overturns conventional wisdom on marketing history in India, which has so far discounted its significance before 1960 or accorded primary significance to the 1990s’ economic liberalisation programme.
Practical implications
Findings of this study will be useful to marketing professionals and teachers who wish to learn more about the history of marketing in India.
Originality/value
The paper uses unexplored archival material and provides the first account on the evolution of “marketing” in public and corporate discourse in twentieth-century India.