Jess Gallagher – Page 2

Art in Time of War: Celebrating the Resilience of Ukrainian Culture

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 by Jess GallagherNo Comments

By Guest Writer Emma McDonnell Art is a means to document, a means to capture emotions, feelings, and history. Art has the capacity to chronicle and tell the story of a bygone era—to depict events and places which the world no longer knows of. And ultimately, art is a marker of the past, present, and future. As such, it ties us to periods and moments–persevering through devastating and disastrous times such as war and conflict. Hosted by the Harriman Institute together with the President’s Office of Columbia University, Art in Time of War: Celebrating the Resilience of Ukrainian Culture celebrated the strength and talent of Ukrainian culture through a variety of artistic mediums. The event combined music, poetry, film, art, and conversation to showcase Ukrainian creativity and artistic talent. The event began with opening remarks from the Director of the Harriman Institute, Valentina Izmirlieva, followed by remarks from the Executive Vice President for Columbia Global, Waffaa El-Sadr. Both highlighted what a unique, monumental,...

Social Norms Constraining Legal Provisions: Coparcenary Rights of Indian Daughters

May 14, 2023 by Jess GallagherNo Comments

By Guest Writer Prasun Nabiyal The Hindu Succession Act (Amendment) of 2005 placed Hindu daughters on an equal footing with sons by giving them coparcenary rights over their father’s ancestral property. Coparcenary rights are a bundle of property rights shared among joint-heirs. According to N.R. Raghavchariar’s “Hindu Law Principles and Precedents”, this includes rights such as right to joint-possession and right to demand partition. Prior to the 2005 amendment, these rights were the exclusive domain of Hindu sons. The amendment thus marked a watershed moment, moving away from the gender-discriminating Hindu Succession Act of 1956. Last year, the Supreme Court of India, in the same tradition, held that Hindu daughters can inherit both self-acquired-property and coparcenary property. However, despite these progressive developments in the legal realm, the societal perception towards the issue of Hindu women possessing property rights persists. The mainstream view continues to believe that only sons, not daughters, have coparcenary rights. Thus, the exercise of these rights by daughters is...

Forced Evictions and Bulldozer Demolitions: Crushing Human Rights under the Rubble

May 14, 2023 by Jess Gallagher1 Comment

By Guest Writer Ketan Aggarwal “My parents were sleeping inside the house. They demolished the house without informing us and set it on fire. I somehow managed to come out of the house. The policemen caught me and beat me up. They were trying to push me inside the burning house. My father was severely burnt, while my mother and sister died in the fire.” These were the words of Shivam, whose house was demolished during an anti-encroachment drive in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh this month. This disturbing incident is not an isolated case of what has been termed "Bulldozer Justice." Similar incidents of forced evictions and demolitions have occurred in other parts of India, including Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Many political parties, NGO & human rights groups like Al Jazeera have criticized these actions, which disproportionately target marginalized and minority communities, as a form of extrajudicial punishment. The use of bulldozers to demolish homes and businesses has become increasingly prevalent...

A Long Road to Fulfilling the Rights of Indonesian Domestic Workers: One Step Forward for Ratifying the Domestic Workers Protection Bill?

May 14, 2023May 15, 2023 by Jess GallagherNo Comments

By Guest Writers Desi Yunitasari and Devi Yusvitasari Introduction With a population totaling around 260 million individuals, Indonesia is the fourth-largest country in terms of population size. This has contributed to the surplus of workers in Indonesia. Domestic workers are a fundamental part of the movement of the activities of millions of households in line with the increasing demand for the needs of families in urban and rural areas to do household work such as care and maintenance-and household services. Indonesia not only employs millions of domestic workers but supplies them in large numbers to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Middle Eastern countries. Domestic workers indirectly affect national economic growth, as the wages they send home contribute to the country's foreign exchange earnings. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that 80 percent of all domestic workers are women, while underage female workers make up 30% of the workforce. Most of these women and girls are breadwinners for their families. Moreover,...

Words, Words, Words: Language Pedagogy and Social Justice Virtual Event Coverage

February 13, 2023 by Jess GallagherNo Comments

By Staff Writer Carina Goebelbecker How can words, language, grammar, and narrative be used in the fight for social justice? The Columbia University Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities’ Language Pedagogy and Social Justice virtual event on May 11th explored the previous question. The roundtable discussion highlighted perspectives from language educators, featuring: moderator David Borgonjon (Public Humanities Fellow and PhD Candidate in EALAC, Columbia University) Maya Krinsky (Associate Director of Multilingual Education, Rhode Island School of Design), João Nemi Neto (Senior Lecturer in LAIC, Columbia University), Karim ElHaies (Worker-Owner, Algarabía Language Co-op), Aldo Ulisses Reséndiz Ramírez (Worker-Owner, Algarabía Language Co-op), and Pamela Rose (Mandarin Educator). Each panel member reflected on their own teaching practice and how language pedagogy can be taught with a focus on social justice. Social justice themes and conversations are typically labeled as “advanced” in the language classroom. However, these topics are present within each unit of study, and denying this fact can perpetuate harm and...