Arthur Saniotis & Michael Roberts: “Empowering the Body and ‘Noble Death’,” .… a reprint of an article pubd in Social Analysis, Volume 50, Issue 1, Spring 2005, 7–24 © Berghahn Journals
Facing death with equanimity and with a honed, trained body is an expression of sheer power.1 When a group of like-minded individuals confronts an oppositional force with equal mental and bodily capacities, whether on a sports field or in a warring conflict, the result is power compounded. Each article in this special section ‘confronts’ such powers. Together they explore several regionally specific projects in Asia in which dying for a cause is seen as a virtue.
There are several parts of Asia where social practices and cultural traditions have consciously nourished bodily empowerment. In these select yet dynamic traditions, mind and body are conceived as a unity. Attentiveness to cosmic powers is an integral aspect of disciplined ascetic practices that seek to harness bodily energy in maximal ways. These practices confront death. They are directed toward transcending the fear of death—and death itself. When they are inserted into a moment of violent conflict involving interpersonal combat, they encourage a steely, terrifying fearlessness as well as deadly striking power.
Continue reading →
The Alumni Association of University of Colombo organized a felicitation ceremony today (June 2nd) to honor Dr. Kumari Jayawardena, who has made an incomparable contribution to the transformative development of the social, political, intellectual, and academic fields of our country. Dr. Kumari Jayawardena was one of the pioneers of Sri Lanka’s feminist movement and her role as a public intellectual, as an academic and her political journey have contributed to revolutionize the labor and women’s movements in the country.
