Ethnicity and Cultural Assimilation at Crossroads: With the Case of Kashmiri Pathans - Tapa blanda

The book is an attempt to understand the interface between ethnicity and cultural assimilation. The Pakhtoons or Pashtuns are the world's largest (patriarchal) segmentary lineage ethnic group. According to Ethnologue, the total population of the group is estimated to be around 50 million. The [I] chapter on “ETHNICITY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK” debates about the conceptual analysis, theory, perspectives and discussions about ethnicity in sociology and Social anthropology. The [II] chapter entitled “CULTURAL ASSIMILATION” provides a thorough understanding and analysis of this grand narrative of social anthropology. Besides it looks into the cultural assimilation of Kashmiri Pakhtoons with main implications for their society. Chapter [III] “PAKHTOONS: SOCIETY, TRADITIONS AND ASSIMILATION” deals with those cultural aspects of Pakhtoon society which are linked with their tradition and have met assimilation. The main focus of this chapter has been to bring into limelight the nature and degree of assimilation of the cultural elements of the Pakhtoon society and the overall impacts of the process on the ethnicity of Kashmiri Pakhtoons. The scope of this chapter is confined mainly to the micro structures and institutions of Pakhtoon culture and society. Chapter [IV] “ASSIMILATION OF MACRO-SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AMONG PAKHTOONS” discusses the impacts of assimilation on the macro social institutions like political and economic systems of the Pakhtoon society through a comparative analysis with the Pathans of India and Pakistan. It also deals with the changes and new cultural adoptions in crafts and sports among the Kashmiri Pakhtoons. Assimilation has been analyzed in relation to the education and economic institutions like the occupational structure of the Pakhtoon society in Kashmir.

Dr. Mudasir Ahmad Lone is a research scholar affiliated with the University of Jammu in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He did his Schooling as a student of Medical and Seed Technology eventually shifted to the Social Sciences with Sociology as the main Subject. He did his B.A and M.A in Sociology from the University of Kashmir. He has qualified the NET exam in June 2008. He has got PhD in Sociology on Ethnicity and Cultural Assimilation. He has presented research papers in five National and one International Seminar and NWISA conference on the thrust areas: Ethnicity, Gender issues, Family and Marriage, Power Politics, Higher Education and Himalayan Tribal people. He has got 28 international publications besides research experience in the areas of Anthropology, Culture and Language. He is presently working as Reviewer and Advisory Board Member for International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research [IJMER]. He is actively engaged in research and is continuously contributing to International research.