Bioregional Cultures: Sacred Sites, Ecology and Syncretism

Course Brief

Abstract

Bidar traditions reflect a vibrant heterogeneity of cultures, traditions, languages and practices, Influencing a world-view of multi-cultural lifestyle and tolerance. To understand the background of this world view, the course shifts its focus on what constitutes the paradigms of the place cultural history and it’s surrounding environment. In this, we look at sacred sites situated across the district in helping us to seek answers to the below questions:

The course determines its learners through the following questions,

What constructs a place?

1. How do we link the cultural history of a place with its ecological geography?

2. How do we understand the symbiotic formulations- syncretic traditions and living cultures in it?

3. How do we reconstruct a place through its myths, legends, and stories embedded in its everydayness?

How does this influence and form a relational notion with the region?

This course is suitable for people interested to re-orient and learn ways of understanding of “what constructs the idea of place” through the deep-rooted interconnectedness of social and ecological relationships.

Key words

Living cultures, Culture and Ecology, Syncretism, Community sacred sites, Subaltern practices, Oral traditions.

Course objective

The course has been offered to engage the learners in exploration of things from contexts that could carry a meaningful cultural history with its surrounding ecology. The modes and micro-contexts are provided in an effort to help learners to understand knowledge concentration and dynamics in living practices, providing space for co-learning from below and at the same time cultivating scientific temper with humility in knowing the cultures and use their learning to examine such practices in their own explorations. We anticipate learners to utilise the course period to build sensitivity to forms they are exposed to, build organic relationships with the collaborators and contexts, and see this as a space for two way learning. This will also encourage people to look beyond their discipline or expertise, to build long-term solidarity and support systems.

Learning Outcomes

The learner will carry a different set of learning grounded in subaltern realities. Through different methodologies, methods and explorations, the course will help learners form a sense of understanding perspectives that inform our view of reality and what forms knowledge in the reality.

The learners will carry a critical side of looking into cultures shifting away from its mainstream gaze. In the sense, the learners will apply criticality, which develops with their unlearning and relearning with the context from the ground.

This informs the learner to explore various ways of understanding how diversity or heterogeneous nature of cultures/traditions/practices of societies are exchanged through its surroundings.

The course also provide platform to learners to experiment methodologies, methods and build artefacts in their own creative capacity and to help bring holistic interpretations and meanings from their learnings on the field.

Learning modes

The learning modes will be,

• Experiential Learning modes such as Learning with practitioners embedded within the place and community where the syncretic practices have evolved.

• Critical making of learning artefacts with the material knowledge practices held by the communities of syncretic practices.

• Reflective learning modes facilitated through Baithak and public engagement such as an exhibition or a talk series led by the learners.

What you bring?

The course is open to learners of varied backgrounds. It is more suited to people invested in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, conservation, and allied fields. However, people generally interested in society, culture, traditions, and languages and are looking actively to understand the nuances and plurality within it.

The course also encourages people to bring in their practise and experiences into the frameworks. Based on the context and possibilities, we can find ways to assimilate them in the methodology and outcomes.

What will you make?

• Utilising different forms of ethnographic methods: Visual ethnography, Field journaling, Participant observation, Interviewing.

• Field-based explorations, and charting/sketching out sites, places, its surrounding ecology. bringing in learners creativity or any learned expertise as a form of learning mode.

• Learning and engaging through reflexivity, a continuous process to allow self-reflection, field journaling with self-commentary, exchanges with the team and collaborators on interpretations, notable findings, and review. This aids learners to develop adaptive research methods and strategies.

• The reflexivity process also allows learners to unlearn their bias, recognise blind spots, evolve perspectives, and inculcate an ethical and inclusive methodologies.

Course Fee

Fee Summary

Our course fees vary based on the total Notional Learning Hours (NLH). When you view a course description, you'll see a transparent breakdown of costs which reflects the unique structure and requirements of that particular learning experience. The published cost calculation below gives you clarity on what's included in your fees. As more learners join a course, we may adjust the per-person cost accordingly. We track all expenditures carefully against our initial estimates to ensure resources are used effectively for your learning journey. For more information please look at FAQ page.

Course fees includes:

1. Facilitator compensation - Rs. 5280

2. Travel - Rs. 2200

3. Accommodation (Shared room) - Rs. 4400

4. Food & Local travel - Rs. 3080

5. Community facilitator compensation - Rs. 1400

6. Support and Sustenance - Rs. 5632

7. GST @ 18% - Rs. 3024

Total Fee per learner is Rs.26000 (Rupees Twenty Six Thousand Only). Fee to be paid only on receiving the invitation to join the course cohort.

- In Deliberate Practice upto 60% of the NLH is compensated for our Fellow course facilitators co-desinging, facilitating and managing the entire course.
- Travel cost is calculated for a round trip to Bidar from any of the following Cities - Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai or PuneShared accommodation will be organised. At the time of onboarding we will ask you for preferences.
- Breakfast and Dinner costs are included in the fees. Any local commute commonly organised is covered in the Fees. There might be additional cost that the learner should factor in for any fieldwork expenses.
- In Deliberate Practice upto 40% of the NLH is compensated for learning support by our community collaborator via mentoring, maintaining, weaving, storytelling, guiding and so on.
- This amount will be utilised for extending financial support to learners who seek support (details are available in the application form). Any surplus will be added to the corpus for the sustenance of LLI.
- Our fiscal host for Trimester 01 is Aruvu LLP. As per the IT rules a GST of 18% will be charged on the fee collected for the course.
- Fee has to be paid only on being invited to join the cohort.

Fee does not include

• Cost of any equipment or other specific materials relevant to Learner’s practice. We recommend the learners to carry any specialised equipments or materials with them to Kundapura.