Social Sciences
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Item Tribal women and maternal health: A study among Kondareddy tribal women of Andhra Pradesh, India(4th International Conference on Social Sciences 2018, Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Chiranjeevi, T.Every society has its own culture and a set of beliefs, which give a special status to that particular society. Those beliefs also have certain impact on the health and wellbeing of the people of that society. In India, Tribal societies have a very special status not only due to their aboriginal native roots in India but also for their distinguishing cultures, arts, food, cuisine, clothes, crafts and festivals. Tribal societies also carry within themselves the rich experience of aboriginal knowledge on medicine and health care. Tribal cultures are popularly known for the intrinsic homage and respect towards the protection of nature. Since the times immemorial, they had indigenous knowledge for the maintenance of maternal health care. At the same time, they also have a certain specific belief system around the maternal health care which at times intercedes at times obstructs the modern western allopathic stream of medicine, that the Indian State promotes. This study focuses on understanding such belief system and the perception of tribal women on health care in general and maternal health in particular. The study is based on the first-hand information extracted from the narrative interviews of Konda Reddy Tribal women of Andhra Pradesh. On the one hand, the state wants to improve the conditions of women’s maternal health by providing them the modern health care facilities during the child birth. On the other hand, the conditions for these government benefits to reach out to Tribal women are abysmally low. To improve the maternal health conditions of this community, the state’s health care providers should understand the beliefs, perceptions and unique practices of tribal women. There is a need to establish health centres with health care professionals in the researched area and the state should also support the local traditional healers. There is also a need to provide information about health care practices, medicine and improvement of conditions of child birth and postpartum careItem A Study on the Functions of Magic in Rural Communities in Sri Lanka (with Special Reference to Mirigama Secretariat Division in Gampaha District)(Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayakody, J.A.N.A.Most cultures of the world have religious beliefs that lead to the idea that supernatural powers can be compelled, or at least influenced, to act in certain ways for good or evil purposes by using ritual formulas. These formulas are, in a sense, magic. Rural people use Magic as a way of fulfilling emotional and social needs. Basically magic is divided in to two categories. Those are black magic and white magic. Social systems change constantly. Magic is most valued in rural society. At present, Sri Lankan rural communities are also subjected to great changes but the faith in magic is still visible in rural communities, where magic, faiths and beliefs play a major role. The main objective of this study is to identify the social functions of magic and explore the function and dysfunction of the visible and invisible. The case study and the functional method were used to gather primary data. Data was collected through observation and interviews because qualitative data is very important for this research. The sample was selected using random purposive methods according to the non-probability sampling theory. The sample consists of 30% of the population of the area. The Thalahena village in Giriullagama GN division in Mirigama secretariat division of the Gampaha district was selected as the research area. The main finding of the study is that many positive social functions are fulfilled by magic in rural communities in Sri Lanka. In this regard, magic has contributed to the improvement of mental health, developed social integration and helped people to bond with their religion.