Here is the article and inspiration for my essay in case anyone is interested in learning more about Tiangia.

Third of Five Reflections

In an attempt to broaden the horizons of experience from which I pull inspiration for these journal entries, I flipped through the World News online. I have chosen to use our text and in-class discussions about anger, aggression, violence and relative deprivation to analyze the attacks in Orissa. My source for information is The New York Times.

The New York Times suggests the new outburst of direct violence has roots in cultural and structural violence. The direct violence blamed for initiating the attacks against Christians was when an anti-missionary Hindu leader, in an act of proactive aggression, was allegedly killed by Maoists but suspected to have been killed by Christians. The reactive aggression from the Hindu camp was to burn down over 500 Christian homes and kill at least 16 people.

The cultural violence may be argued to be manifest within both the Christian and Hindu camps as each preaches the other is wrong. The structural violence appears to be found in the economic boom India is currently experiencing as well as the caste system. According to the article:

The violence … appears to have been fueled, at least in part, by discontent at a time when the gap between India’s haves and have-nots is growing. Orissa has long suffered from government neglect, and Christian missionaries provide services, including schooling, much better than most residents receive from the government. While that has caused friction before, the stakes are higher now that better-educated people have more of a chance of joining the economic boom.

Christian missionaries in India have focused on indigenous and lower-caste groups, including untouchables, or Dalits. Despite laws dating almost from Indian independence, Dalits are often discriminated against or worse. They are sometimes denied basic amenities, such as clean water; relegated to hazardous jobs; and raped or killed because of their social status.

… Christian education often includes classes in English, which are crucial for anyone who wants to join India’s service businesses or to break into even the lowest levels of the information technology industry fueling much of India’s growth.

Anger over the death of a beloved leader may have been a primary motivating factor in the aggressive attacks of violence by the Hindus against the Christians. Relative Deprivation may have been a latent cause as well. Hindus expect a share in the wealth of the nation yet their capability to receive an education which would increase the likelihood of their achieving their expectations is handicapped by the fact that a good education is often only offered by Christians.

If we approach the conflict as being deep-rooted and not necessarily only caused by the unfortunate murder of the Hindu leader, we are able to suggest possible evidence to support the theory of relative deprivation. Interpersonal values, of which relative deprivation may take root, include: “the sense of certainty that derives from shared adherence to beliefs about the nature of society and one’s place in it…” A deeper analysis of the anti-missionary view which many Hindus share, in relation to interpersonal values, uncovers the possibility that Hindus expect that they deserve and have the right to more than Dalits. It is their place in society. When this expectation is not met and the Dalits have more personal and societal opportunities for value-enhancing action than the Hindus, the potential for collective violence among the Hindus and the intensity of the RD increases. In addition, the prolonged frustration of not having easy access to education could also contribute to the likelihood of aggression and violence.