Doctoral Dissertation Research: Local Histories and the Production of Centralized Knowledge

博士论文研究：地方历史与集中知识的生产

• 批准号: 1303274
• 负责人: Leah VanWey
• 金额: $ 0.72万
• 依托单位: Brown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-15 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1303274&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Local; Histories

SES-1303274Leah Van WeyTrina VithayathilBrown UniversityWhile an enormous body of social science research utilizes census data, empirical studies of the process by which census data are produced remain rare. Population censuses are part of the representational practices of contemporary nation-states. Censuses help to determine the boundaries of elected seats and are also administrative tools used to distribute material benefits. Census data influence how taxes will be apportioned across regions and help to establish the eligibility criteria for state welfare programs. Over the last two decades, a range of actors--including courts, social scientists, government agencies, and sections of the public--have made increasing demands for "objective" data on caste. Responding to these pressures, the Government of India decided in 2010 to conduct a caste census. For the first time since 1931, caste data will be collected from every household in the country. Building upon a scholarly tradition that makes censuses an object of research, this dissertation is a qualitative study of how official data on caste are produced during this contemporary caste count in India. The co-PI will study the role that state actors, civil society, the private sector, and general public play in the making of social data. While remaining attuned to the individuals, objects, and institutions involved in this nationwide exercise, the empirical study of the caste census is grounded in the Indian State of Karnataka, in order to understand the role of local histories in producing centralized knowledge.Broader ImpactThis project will build multidisciplinary collaborations with anthropologists, historians and economists. Research findings will be presented at interdisciplinary conferences, workshops and research partnerships and to academic audiences in the US and India. The project will also create a rich set of qualitative and archival data that will be available for use by other social scientists. Finally, the findings of this dissertation will provide those who plan to use the collected caste data with a detailed empirical account of how the official data are produced.

SES-1303274Leah Van WeyTrina VithayathilBrown 大学虽然大量社会科学研究利用了人口普查数据，但对人口普查数据生成过程的实证研究仍然很少。人口普查是当代民族国家代表性实践的一部分。人口普查有助于确定选举席位的界限，也是用于分配物质利益的行政工具。人口普查数据影响税收在地区之间的分配方式，并有助于建立国家福利计划的资格标准。在过去的二十年里，包括法院、社会科学家、政府机构和公众在内的一系列行为者对种姓数据的“客观”数据提出了越来越高的要求。为了应对这些压力，印度政府决定于 2010 年进行种姓普查。自 1931 年以来，首次从该国每个家庭收集种姓数据。本论文以将人口普查作为研究对象的学术传统为基础，对印度当代种姓统计过程中种姓官方数据是如何产生的进行定性研究。 联合首席研究员将研究国家行为者、民间社会、私营部门和公众在社会数据制作中发挥的作用。在保持与参与这项全国性活动的个人、物体和机构保持一致的同时，种姓普查的实证研究以印度卡纳塔克邦为基础，以了解当地历史在产生集中知识中的作用。更广泛的影响该项目将与人类学家、历史学家和经济学家建立多学科合作。 研究成果将在跨学科会议、研讨会和研究伙伴关系上向美国和印度的学术观众展示。该项目还将创建一套丰富的定性和档案数据，可供其他社会科学家使用。最后，本论文的研究结果将为那些计划使用收集到的种姓数据的人提供关于官方数据如何产生的详细实证说明。