| sanctioned violence: development and the persecution of women as witches in south bihar. | in south bihar, india, socially sanctioned witch-hunting and persecution led to the deaths of 15 women in 1994 and 24 women and children in 1994. this article presents case studies to suggest that the underlying causes of this behavior are not superstition and illiteracy but are efforts to maintain women's inferior status by enforcing female economic subjugation, sexual exploitation, and the persecution of widows and independent, vocal women. in these cases, superstitious beliefs were exploite ... | 1998 | 12293699 |
| diagnosing "dayans" and "demons". | the new ¿witch craft prevention bill¿ prohibiting witch hunting was passed in bihar, india, in reaction to the branding and subsequent killing of more than 500 helpless women as "dayans" (witches) in the past 7 years. most of them were single, widows, or deserted women victimized by the pathological greed of some of the male members of their families or by some powerful persons in the village community interested in claiming their property. even with the passage of the bill, though, most of thes ... | 2007 | 12295280 |
| a kala-azar control programme for remote tribal communities. | indigenous people have been trained to provide a culturally appropriate kala-azar control programme for the tribal population of sahibganj, bihar, india. cultural resistance to modern medicine has been overcome and the influence of village witch-doctors has been countered. | 1994 | 7945751 |