[Reader-list] The Nature of Ragging in Hostels: ABSTRACT

[Shivam Vij]

Any discussion on ragging concentrates on the individual fresher who
is being ragged. "For some it may be fun but for others it may not be
okay." This approach to ragging inevitably leads to victim-blaming. My
research has sought to shift the focus on the ragger, or rather the
ragging community: what does ragging achieve in the hostel space? What
are the codes of the hostel community? Why is it important for the
community that the fresher accept the discourse of ragging?

Sociological analyses of ragging, on the other hand, sees ragging as
either resulting from social conditions (sexual repression, school
discipline, etc) or as performing social functions. Such an approach
sees ragging as merely a "rite of passage", and becomes indifferent to
the sheer violence of ragging. The functionalist approach seems to
explain away the phenomenon. My paper, on the other hand, seeks to
shift the focus to the reactionary ideals of the ragging community.

To be presented at the I-Fellows workshop on Saturday, 27 August 2005.