An Introduction to Visual Anthropology

An Introduction to Visual Anthropology Visual anthropology is an academic subfield of anthropology that has two distinct but intersecting aims. The first involves the addition of images including video and film to ethnographic studies, to enhance the communication of anthropological observations and insights through the use of photography, film, and video. The second one is more or less the anthropology of art,  understanding visual images, including: How far do humans as a species rely on what is seen, and how do they integrate that into their lives?How significant is the visual aspect of life in any particular society or civilization? andHow does a visual image represent (bring into existence, make visible, exhibit or reproduce an action or person, and/or stand as an example for) something Visual anthropology methods include photo elicitation, the use of images to stimulate culturally relevant reflections from informants. The end results are narratives (film, video, photo essays) which communicate typical events of a cultural scene. History Visual Anthropology only became possible with the availability of cameras in the 1860s- arguably the first visual anthropologists were not anthropologists at all but rather photojournalists like the Civil War photographer Matthew Brady;  Jacob Riis, who photographed 19th-century slums of New York;  and  Dorthea Lange, who documented the Great Depression in stunning photographs. In the mid-nineteenth century, academic anthropologists began collecting and making photographs of the people they studied. So-called collecting clubs included the British anthropologists Edward Burnett Tylor, Alfred Cort Haddon, and Henry Balfour, who exchanged and shared photographs as part of an attempt to document and classify ethnographic races. The Victorians concentrated on British colonies such as India, the French focused on Algeria, and the U.S. anthropologists concentrated on Native American communities. Modern scholars now recognize that imperialist scholars classifying the people of subject colonies as others is an important and downright ugly aspect of this early anthropological history. Some scholars have commented that visual representation of cultural activity is, of course, very ancient indeed, including cave art representations of hunting rituals beginning 30,000 years ago or more. Photography and Innovation The development of photography as a part of the scientific ethnographic analysis is usually attributed to Gregory Bateson and Margaret Meads 1942 examination of Balinese culture called Balinese Character: A Photographic Analysis. Bateson and Mead took more than 25,000 photos while conducting research in Bali, and published 759 photographs to support and develop their ethnographic observations. In particular, the photos- arranged in a sequential pattern like stop-motion movie clips- illustrated how the Balinese research subjects performed social rituals or engaged in routine behavior. Film as ethnography is an innovation generally attributed to Robert Flaherty, whose 1922 film Nanook of the North is a silent recording of activities of an Inuit band in the Canadian Arctic. Purpose In the beginning, scholars felt that using imagery was a way to make an objective, accurate, and complete study of social science that had been typically fueled by an extensively detailed description. But there is no doubt about it,  the photo collections were directed and often served a purpose. For example, the photos used by anti-slavery and aborigine protection societies were selected or made to make the natives more human and needier, through poses, framings, and settings. American photographer Edward Curtis made skillful use of aesthetic conventions, framing Native Americans as sad, unresisting victims of an inevitable and indeed divinely ordained manifest destiny. Anthropologists such as Adolphe Bertillon and Arthur Cervin sought to objectify the images by specifying uniform focal lengths, poses, and backdrops to remove the distracting noise of context, culture, and faces. Some photos went so far as to isolate body parts from the individual (like tattoos). Others such as Thomas Huxley planned to produce an orthographic inventory of the races in the British Empire, and that, coupled with a corresponding urgency to collect the last vestiges of disappearing cultures drove much of the 19th and early 20th century efforts. Ethical Considerations All of this came crashing to the forefront in the 1960s and 1970s when the clash between ethical requirements of anthropology and the technical aspects of using photography became untenable. In particular, the use of imagery in academic publication has impacts on the ethical requirements of anonymity, informed consent, and telling the visual truth. Privacy: Ethical anthropology requires that scholar protect the privacy of the subjects that are interviewed: taking their picture makes that nearly impossibleInformed consent: Anthropologists need to explain to their informants that their images may appear in the research and what the implications of those images might mean- and get that consent in writing- before the research beginsTelling the truth: Visual scholars must understand that it is unethical to alter images to change their meaning or present an image that connotes a reality not consistent with the understood reality. University Programs and Job Outlook Visual anthropology is a subset of the larger field of anthropology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the numbers of jobs projected to grow between 2014 and 2024 is about 4 percent, slower than the average, and competition for those jobs is likely to be fierce given the small number of positions relative to applicants. A handful of university programs specializing in the use of visual and sensory media in anthropology, including: The University of Southern California MA at the Center for Visual AnthropologyHarvard Universitys Ph.D. program at Sensory Ethnography LabThe University of Londons MA and Ph.D. in Visual AnthropologyThe University of Manchesters MA at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology Finally, the Society for Visual Anthropology, part of the American Anthropological Association, has a research conference and film and media festival and publishes the journal Visual Anthropology Review. A second academic journal, titled Visual Anthropology, is published by Taylor Francis. Sources: Cant A. 2015. One Image, Two Stories: Ethnographic and Touristic Photography and the Practice of Craft in Mexico. Visual Anthropology 28(4):277-285.Harper D. 2001. Visual Methods in the Social Sciences. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16266-16269.Loizos P. 2001. Visual Anthropology. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16246-16250.Ortega-Alczar I. 2012. Visual Research Methods, International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. San Diego: Elsevier. p 249-254.Pink S. 2014. Digital–visual–sensory-design anthropology: Ethnography, imagination Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 13(4):412-427.and intervention.Poole D. 2005. An excess of description: Ethnography, race, and visual technologies. Annual Review of Anthropology 34(1):159-179.

An Introduction to Visual Anthropology

An Introduction to Visual Anthropology Visual anthropology is an academic subfield of anthropology that has two distinct but intersecting aims. The first involves the addition of images including video and film to ethnographic studies, to enhance the communication of anthropological observations and insights through the use of photography, film, and video. The second one is more or less the anthropology of art,  understanding visual images, including: How far do humans as a species rely on what is seen, and how do they integrate that into their lives?How significant is the visual aspect of life in any particular society or civilization? andHow does a visual image represent (bring into existence, make visible, exhibit or reproduce an action or person, and/or stand as an example for) something Visual anthropology methods include photo elicitation, the use of images to stimulate culturally relevant reflections from informants. The end results are narratives (film, video, photo essays) which communicate typical events of a cultural scene. History Visual Anthropology only became possible with the availability of cameras in the 1860s- arguably the first visual anthropologists were not anthropologists at all but rather photojournalists like the Civil War photographer Matthew Brady;  Jacob Riis, who photographed 19th-century slums of New York;  and  Dorthea Lange, who documented the Great Depression in stunning photographs. In the mid-nineteenth century, academic anthropologists began collecting and making photographs of the people they studied. So-called collecting clubs included the British anthropologists Edward Burnett Tylor, Alfred Cort Haddon, and Henry Balfour, who exchanged and shared photographs as part of an attempt to document and classify ethnographic races. The Victorians concentrated on British colonies such as India, the French focused on Algeria, and the U.S. anthropologists concentrated on Native American communities. Modern scholars now recognize that imperialist scholars classifying the people of subject colonies as others is an important and downright ugly aspect of this early anthropological history. Some scholars have commented that visual representation of cultural activity is, of course, very ancient indeed, including cave art representations of hunting rituals beginning 30,000 years ago or more. Photography and Innovation The development of photography as a part of the scientific ethnographic analysis is usually attributed to Gregory Bateson and Margaret Meads 1942 examination of Balinese culture called Balinese Character: A Photographic Analysis. Bateson and Mead took more than 25,000 photos while conducting research in Bali, and published 759 photographs to support and develop their ethnographic observations. In particular, the photos- arranged in a sequential pattern like stop-motion movie clips- illustrated how the Balinese research subjects performed social rituals or engaged in routine behavior. Film as ethnography is an innovation generally attributed to Robert Flaherty, whose 1922 film Nanook of the North is a silent recording of activities of an Inuit band in the Canadian Arctic. Purpose In the beginning, scholars felt that using imagery was a way to make an objective, accurate, and complete study of social science that had been typically fueled by an extensively detailed description. But there is no doubt about it,  the photo collections were directed and often served a purpose. For example, the photos used by anti-slavery and aborigine protection societies were selected or made to make the natives more human and needier, through poses, framings, and settings. American photographer Edward Curtis made skillful use of aesthetic conventions, framing Native Americans as sad, unresisting victims of an inevitable and indeed divinely ordained manifest destiny. Anthropologists such as Adolphe Bertillon and Arthur Cervin sought to objectify the images by specifying uniform focal lengths, poses, and backdrops to remove the distracting noise of context, culture, and faces. Some photos went so far as to isolate body parts from the individual (like tattoos). Others such as Thomas Huxley planned to produce an orthographic inventory of the races in the British Empire, and that, coupled with a corresponding urgency to collect the last vestiges of disappearing cultures drove much of the 19th and early 20th century efforts. Ethical Considerations All of this came crashing to the forefront in the 1960s and 1970s when the clash between ethical requirements of anthropology and the technical aspects of using photography became untenable. In particular, the use of imagery in academic publication has impacts on the ethical requirements of anonymity, informed consent, and telling the visual truth. Privacy: Ethical anthropology requires that scholar protect the privacy of the subjects that are interviewed: taking their picture makes that nearly impossibleInformed consent: Anthropologists need to explain to their informants that their images may appear in the research and what the implications of those images might mean- and get that consent in writing- before the research beginsTelling the truth: Visual scholars must understand that it is unethical to alter images to change their meaning or present an image that connotes a reality not consistent with the understood reality. University Programs and Job Outlook Visual anthropology is a subset of the larger field of anthropology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the numbers of jobs projected to grow between 2014 and 2024 is about 4 percent, slower than the average, and competition for those jobs is likely to be fierce given the small number of positions relative to applicants. A handful of university programs specializing in the use of visual and sensory media in anthropology, including: The University of Southern California MA at the Center for Visual AnthropologyHarvard Universitys Ph.D. program at Sensory Ethnography LabThe University of Londons MA and Ph.D. in Visual AnthropologyThe University of Manchesters MA at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology Finally, the Society for Visual Anthropology, part of the American Anthropological Association, has a research conference and film and media festival and publishes the journal Visual Anthropology Review. A second academic journal, titled Visual Anthropology, is published by Taylor Francis. Sources: Cant A. 2015. One Image, Two Stories: Ethnographic and Touristic Photography and the Practice of Craft in Mexico. Visual Anthropology 28(4):277-285.Harper D. 2001. Visual Methods in the Social Sciences. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16266-16269.Loizos P. 2001. Visual Anthropology. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16246-16250.Ortega-Alczar I. 2012. Visual Research Methods, International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. San Diego: Elsevier. p 249-254.Pink S. 2014. Digital–visual–sensory-design anthropology: Ethnography, imagination Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 13(4):412-427.and intervention.Poole D. 2005. An excess of description: Ethnography, race, and visual technologies. Annual Review of Anthropology 34(1):159-179.

An Introduction to Visual Anthropology

An Introduction to Visual Anthropology Visual anthropology is an academic subfield of anthropology that has two distinct but intersecting aims. The first involves the addition of images including video and film to ethnographic studies, to enhance the communication of anthropological observations and insights through the use of photography, film, and video. The second one is more or less the anthropology of art,  understanding visual images, including: How far do humans as a species rely on what is seen, and how do they integrate that into their lives?How significant is the visual aspect of life in any particular society or civilization? andHow does a visual image represent (bring into existence, make visible, exhibit or reproduce an action or person, and/or stand as an example for) something Visual anthropology methods include photo elicitation, the use of images to stimulate culturally relevant reflections from informants. The end results are narratives (film, video, photo essays) which communicate typical events of a cultural scene. History Visual Anthropology only became possible with the availability of cameras in the 1860s- arguably the first visual anthropologists were not anthropologists at all but rather photojournalists like the Civil War photographer Matthew Brady;  Jacob Riis, who photographed 19th-century slums of New York;  and  Dorthea Lange, who documented the Great Depression in stunning photographs. In the mid-nineteenth century, academic anthropologists began collecting and making photographs of the people they studied. So-called collecting clubs included the British anthropologists Edward Burnett Tylor, Alfred Cort Haddon, and Henry Balfour, who exchanged and shared photographs as part of an attempt to document and classify ethnographic races. The Victorians concentrated on British colonies such as India, the French focused on Algeria, and the U.S. anthropologists concentrated on Native American communities. Modern scholars now recognize that imperialist scholars classifying the people of subject colonies as others is an important and downright ugly aspect of this early anthropological history. Some scholars have commented that visual representation of cultural activity is, of course, very ancient indeed, including cave art representations of hunting rituals beginning 30,000 years ago or more. Photography and Innovation The development of photography as a part of the scientific ethnographic analysis is usually attributed to Gregory Bateson and Margaret Meads 1942 examination of Balinese culture called Balinese Character: A Photographic Analysis. Bateson and Mead took more than 25,000 photos while conducting research in Bali, and published 759 photographs to support and develop their ethnographic observations. In particular, the photos- arranged in a sequential pattern like stop-motion movie clips- illustrated how the Balinese research subjects performed social rituals or engaged in routine behavior. Film as ethnography is an innovation generally attributed to Robert Flaherty, whose 1922 film Nanook of the North is a silent recording of activities of an Inuit band in the Canadian Arctic. Purpose In the beginning, scholars felt that using imagery was a way to make an objective, accurate, and complete study of social science that had been typically fueled by an extensively detailed description. But there is no doubt about it,  the photo collections were directed and often served a purpose. For example, the photos used by anti-slavery and aborigine protection societies were selected or made to make the natives more human and needier, through poses, framings, and settings. American photographer Edward Curtis made skillful use of aesthetic conventions, framing Native Americans as sad, unresisting victims of an inevitable and indeed divinely ordained manifest destiny. Anthropologists such as Adolphe Bertillon and Arthur Cervin sought to objectify the images by specifying uniform focal lengths, poses, and backdrops to remove the distracting noise of context, culture, and faces. Some photos went so far as to isolate body parts from the individual (like tattoos). Others such as Thomas Huxley planned to produce an orthographic inventory of the races in the British Empire, and that, coupled with a corresponding urgency to collect the last vestiges of disappearing cultures drove much of the 19th and early 20th century efforts. Ethical Considerations All of this came crashing to the forefront in the 1960s and 1970s when the clash between ethical requirements of anthropology and the technical aspects of using photography became untenable. In particular, the use of imagery in academic publication has impacts on the ethical requirements of anonymity, informed consent, and telling the visual truth. Privacy: Ethical anthropology requires that scholar protect the privacy of the subjects that are interviewed: taking their picture makes that nearly impossibleInformed consent: Anthropologists need to explain to their informants that their images may appear in the research and what the implications of those images might mean- and get that consent in writing- before the research beginsTelling the truth: Visual scholars must understand that it is unethical to alter images to change their meaning or present an image that connotes a reality not consistent with the understood reality. University Programs and Job Outlook Visual anthropology is a subset of the larger field of anthropology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the numbers of jobs projected to grow between 2014 and 2024 is about 4 percent, slower than the average, and competition for those jobs is likely to be fierce given the small number of positions relative to applicants. A handful of university programs specializing in the use of visual and sensory media in anthropology, including: The University of Southern California MA at the Center for Visual AnthropologyHarvard Universitys Ph.D. program at Sensory Ethnography LabThe University of Londons MA and Ph.D. in Visual AnthropologyThe University of Manchesters MA at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology Finally, the Society for Visual Anthropology, part of the American Anthropological Association, has a research conference and film and media festival and publishes the journal Visual Anthropology Review. A second academic journal, titled Visual Anthropology, is published by Taylor Francis. Sources: Cant A. 2015. One Image, Two Stories: Ethnographic and Touristic Photography and the Practice of Craft in Mexico. Visual Anthropology 28(4):277-285.Harper D. 2001. Visual Methods in the Social Sciences. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16266-16269.Loizos P. 2001. Visual Anthropology. In: Baltes PB, editor. International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences. Oxford: Pergamon. p 16246-16250.Ortega-Alczar I. 2012. Visual Research Methods, International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. San Diego: Elsevier. p 249-254.Pink S. 2014. Digital–visual–sensory-design anthropology: Ethnography, imagination Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 13(4):412-427.and intervention.Poole D. 2005. An excess of description: Ethnography, race, and visual technologies. Annual Review of Anthropology 34(1):159-179.

How to Write a Speech

How to Write a Speech How to Write a Speech When it comes to public speaking – in the student’s case, giving a speech to a classroom of their peers and their instructor – one’s success lies in preparation. Which means that delivering a good speech ultimately depends on the writing a  speech. After all, a speech is like a spoken essay. Some people are natural-born public speakers who can entertain an entire room without a second of planning; however, the student in higher education who is to give a speech (who is also most likely a novice public speaker) should follow these 10 speech writing steps. 10 Speech Writing Steps 1. Plan the speech according to the occasion. The student required to give a speech will probably be speaking in an academic setting, where a serious, informative or persuasive tone will serve them best. Most times, the student will be given a time limit, which should be strictly followed. 2. Recognize the theme/message or purpose of the speech. This will help the student identify which direction they are going to take in the writing/planning/researching of the speech, helping them develop a sort of formula to achieve that purpose. 3. Be creative with the speech’s introduction. Once the student knows what they are going to say, they should consider a brief, interesting way to get their audience’s attention – whether with a joke, an interesting anecdote, famous quote, even a thought-provoking question. 4. Learn how to write a speech outline. This helps the student visualize all the points they need to cover in their speech. 5. Expand on the points in the speech outline. If they’re given a speech in a persuasive manner, they will need a solid thesis statement defended by strong evidence to support their argument. If giving an informative speech for an assignment, the student should incorporate solid, research-based information. In either case, the student must center their speech on the theme, issue, or subject they are discussing, arguing, or analyzing. 6. Incorporate transitional phrases to cover various points. Words like â€Å"First of all,† â€Å"Secondly,† â€Å"Next,† and â€Å"Lastly† help the speaker better transition from point to point, for their own sake and the audience. 7. Don’t forget about the conclusion. Just like with an essay or written assignment, a proper conclusion allows the speaker to tie in all the points of their speech, leaving the audience with a comprehensive understanding of what they just discussed. 8. Write the speech out in full, in essay form. Include the introduction, the points to be covered, as well as transitional phrases, and a conclusion – and then evaluate its effectiveness. Edit if needed. Writing more than one draft helps the student add or remove pertinent information. 9. Ask a friend to revise the written speech; revise the draft based on their feedback. Once the student feels their written speech is nearly completed, seeking the help of another person is beneficial. They will see things the writer may not notice, which will ultimately improve the speech. 10. Read the speech aloud. Before the student rehearses their speech first for familiarization, then memorization, they should read the speech aloud to compare how it sounds with how it reads; this could be the difference in an awkward, boring speech or one that is interesting and gets a higher grade. Read also: How to Write a Persuasive Essay | How to Write an Argumentative Essay In case you are working on a speech, and are having difficulties with it, would be happy to assist. Feel free to contact our writers and they will help you to work through the assignment. Our staff will assign writers with suitable backgrounds and adequate experience. This will result in a paper that is properly written and formatted, with thorough background research and a solid literature base.  Feel free to contact us anytime. Place an order to get your individual discount now.

Digital Marketing and Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Digital Marketing and Communications - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that today, the World Wide Web has thrived and expanded during the last few decades. Subsequently, the Social Media environment has grown and is gaining a rising amount of users. Hence, it becomes even more essential for a business to adopt and use Social Media to be tied closer to their customers. They require changing their thoughts from traditional working methods to the adoption and use of Social Media with the maxim â€Å"Be located where the customers are†. In the ever dynamic business world, Social media provide marketers with a voice and a way to communicate with customers and potential consumer. This can be attributed to the increasing knowledge and use of various social media. The social media are becoming one of the main sources of information for customers around the globe. Users are preferred conducting a quick online search for most the things they want, as opposed to turning the pages of newspapers and directories. Soc ial media personalize the "brand" and help marketers to spread their message in a more relaxed and conversational way. Social media are an experience that has become an essential aspect of the marketing mix and revolutionizing the way marketing companies interact with customers. The information has impacted on the business and improved their performance and the ability to achieve the objective through competitive advantage.

Feminism in American Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Feminism in American Cinema - Essay Example One meaning is "films made by women" and the other meaning is "films made for women" (p. 27). The first pat of her article attempts to explain how each field within these traditional definitions was transformed by feminism over time, using the "woman at the keyhole metaphor" to show how women gained status from being objects of voyeuristic curiosity and into the curious voyeurs themselves. As Mayne argues (p. 28), there is a need to consider "what relationships women have had traditionally and historically, as filmmakers and as film consumers, to the medium" in order to "understand how women make movies". Nothing could be farther from the truth, but this one-sided argument founded on masculine logic hides a basic natural fact: that men and women are different, and thank heavens that they are, and that women and their feminist representation in cinema would be a constantly evolving and a permanently complex and elusive goal. Mayne explains (p. 33-34) that while it is true that having women at the other end of the keyhole is a typical sign of masculine voyeuristic tendencies, it is also true that women love being seen, watched, and admired. They want to feel and look beautiful, not for any reason or motive that is a sign of inferiority, but because that is how they are wired, and nothing is bad about that. It is only "not good" if such a natural human tendency is associated with a (blonde-haired or beautiful-faced) lack of intellectual capacity. This knee-jerk subjective reaction, no matter how one looks at it, and whether it is applied to women or men, is more a reflection of the one who makes rash judgments based on looks and appearances and not based on interior substance. Women are the ultimate dialecticians, Mayne declares, recalling Ruby Rich (p. 40), who declared that "for a woman today, film is a dialectical experience in a way that it never was and never will be for a man under patriarchy". Like Brecht's ultimate dialectician who lives the tension of two different cultures, "women bring into the movie theater a context and a certain coding from life outside the theater". This is perhaps the reason why women love different films in different ways, and why some films made by and for women reach their audiences in unique ways. Feminism in cinema has certainly shaped the way actors act and filmmakers - both men and women - do films, making the human experience richer and more sophisticated. This is good for all, not only for men and the patriarchy to understand women a bit better, but also for women to better understand themselves and how they look at the world. Making, watching and critiquing movies are, indeed, different and complex (p. 41-42), and reflect the innate and natural differences between men and women that provide the artistic cinematic world a dialectic tension that contributes to its magic. Mayne's ambivalent view of women's cinema is carried over to the definition of the feminine aesthetic by de

The Role of lawyers in indias freedom struggle

The Role of lawyers in indias freedom struggle THE ROLE OF LAWYERS IN INDIAS FREEDOM STRUGGLE 1885 was a remarkable year in the history of India, a year which would determine the future of India, a new chapter in the freedom struggle started as a mass movement in 1857 by the ‘sepoy mutiny. With the joint efforts of A.O. Hume and W.C. Bonnerjee, the Indian National Congress was established. This brought the Indian intelligentsia into the main stream of the movement for freedom. This gave people a platform to discuss and share their grievances and in turn device a plan of action. This was the first time that Indians realized that violence was not the only means of fighting a battle and in the years to come ahimsa and satyagraha would become the two pillars on which the freedom struggle rests. How different would the history of India be, had the intelligentsia not taken over the freedom struggle. It was a war of independence from the shackles of enslavement of two centuries. It was a war of rights and liberties. It was a war for establishing ones independent identity. It was a war against injustice and inequality; against racialism and cruelty. The war against the British was not a war of arms but a war or strategy and mental strength. Most of all it was a war of ‘words. Who better to fight such a war but the magicians of words, those who have words for tool, just words to earn their livelihood lawyers. The Indian freedom struggle was won by the army of lawyers who used words for ammunition. Mahatma Gandhi was a lawyer so was Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Pt. Nehru was a lawyer and so were Sardar Wallab Bhai Patel and Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The list is never ending. So what was it that drew all these lawyers into the freedom struggle leaving behind a life of comforts and riches? The British valor could not have been matched by the Indians if they were to rebel and violently agitate. For every British man killed 10 Indians had to lay down their lives. India even in another century could not have gathered enough to make an army stronger than the British. The rich were too busy match fixing the future of India with the British and the poor were too poor to put together two square meals forget about a rebellion against the mighty British Empire. This was the time when the educated middle class came to the fore. It was these, educated men and women who decided to fight the empire for they needed to get jobs, they worried for the future of their children and the future of India, they needed to be independent, they were in contact with the west and they were the so called â€Å"enlightened† ones. These constituted lawyers, teachers, doctors, civil servants etc. Their only strength was their education and they decided to play a game of wits and not of weaponry to get Indians their long due freedom. They realized that what India needed was direction, an understanding of rights, unity, a new form of warfare, which was non violent, leaders and focus. Of this intelligentsia lawyers were the ones who led the struggle from the front, the reasons for this were many. First of all they were not government employees unlike the teachers, doctors and civil servants, so there was no obligation to follow directions from the government. Secondly, if lawyers could boycott courts, it would be a directly defying the British government and law and in turn it would directly imply that the rest of the population were not obliged to follow these laws. Thirdly, most of the lawyers had studied in England and they were aware of the English legal system and of the position people had in an independent nation. Also, they knew how to talk their way through to the English. They knew their weaknesses and strengths, and could successfully device a way to play the weaknesses of the British to their advantage. They were aware of the common law system keeping rights and duties on a pedestal and thus they used the cruelty and in humanity of the British in India to gain sympathy and in turn get the British in England to detest their own people and their conduct in India. Besides fighting cases in the law courts for the extremists who would regularly invite prosecution against themselves, most lawyers formed a group of moderate freedom fighters. They knew that India was not ready for immediate freedom and if India was to attain independence instantaneously, if would crumble without a strong center and there was no system and definitely no individual who could hold the country together. Since the lawyers had supreme understanding of the complicated and intricate laws that were being sent to India for the formation of government and for the administration of justice, they were best suited to discuss their implication and to repeal them as well as draw the English lawmakers to a point of making the law as pro Indians as possible. All these lawyers were of the view that an unjust law must be defied and repealed. Most of all, they advocated for social justice, equality and human rights. Soon, law courts became the preferred battlefield for Indians. Even an extremist revolutionary like Bhagat Singh took the help of a trial to send his message across. Infact, he deliberately invited a trial against him by throwing smoke bombs in the legislative assembly and surrendering himself to the police. The purpose that such court trials served was that they gave the freedom fighters an opportunity to come in contact with the media. The media would report the pleadings and comments in the local as well as the newspapers in England, this served a dual purpose the Indians got their leaders messages and the masses got provoked also, a sense of shame, regret and disapproval was spread amongst the British nationals in England. Though it is not preferred to earmark a single leader of the independence struggle but, if this was to be done, the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would top the list. A lawyer by profession studied in England and worked in South Africa. He was the first leader to fight the inhuman practice of apartheid in South Africa. On his return to India, he devised a practical approach. He first decided to tour through India and then come into the movement. This shows the typical trait of a lawyer, first put together the facts and investigation and then take up the case. Or differently put, when I dont know the laws of the land how do I fight a case? Then he took the movement head on. He advocated the disobedience of unjust laws, peaceful demonstrations, boycott of foreign goods and the peaceful picketing of shops selling foreign goods. His ideas eventually found shape in a non-cooperation launched later. His aim was to make the British administration come to a standstill, a point from which they would have to negotiate. He believed that a peaceful struggle was far more productive then a violent one. A peaceful struggle cannot be suppressed easily and is always sustainable in the long run. Mahatma Gandhi was able to take the freedom struggle to the masses and was a major advocate of social justice and unity amongst all sections of the Indian people. Finally talking of the biggest contribution of the British to India we cannot ignore the role played by the lawyer turned freedom fighters. Besides winning independence, these men extracted a lot from the British. Most important being: their administrative policy, their form of governance and their laws. Most of the English laws have formed the basis of our statute books and the parliamentary form of government was also due to the British influence. The Indian Penal Code, one of the most intricate and elaborate penal law books in the world can be considered a gift from the British. Talking of the form of government, the efforts of Nehru committee and Sapru committee on how to accommodate both the Hindu and Muslim representatives in the government posts was an effort worth applauding. Finally, on 15th August 1947, India won independence and at the same time India was divided and Pakistan was born. But, it was not over for the lawyers yet, on either sides. They still had to carry the two divided nations through the poisoning after effects of the partition. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India and across the border M.A Jinnah held the reins of Pakistan in his hands. Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the President of India and Dr. B. R Ambedkar headed the team of constitution makers. The most remarkable contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at this time in history was undoubtedly his efforts of unifying India as India was divided amongst provinces and princely states. Also, he tried to break the communal barriers that the Indians had created amongst themselves. Besides the political responsibilities carried out by the lawyers, they had to carry out certain legal responsibilities as well. The first and foremost being, framing the constitution of India, followed by ascertaining the structure of the future legal system of the country. Also, partition brought with it many disputes over land, industry and property. These men were to take responsibility and carry out the necessary actions to make it peaceful. To conclude I would like to say that lawyers held an incomparable position in the freedom struggle and they were indispensable. They made a remarkable contribution to the pre independence Indian society the effects of which carried on even after independence. But, it seems to me that the new age lawyers are not as aware or socially responsible as those sixty years ago. We hardly see lawyers now a days who stand up for social causes, who are ready to dedicate their lives to the cause of social justice. The new age lawyers should take a leaf out of the history books and take inspiration from their predecessors and not restrict their ability to contribute. India needs leaders and men with foresight, lawyers who have in the past contributed so richly should continue with the same. As Jawaharlal Nehru said on 15th August, 1947 â€Å"Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.† It is the responsibility of the people of India today to keep the dream of Nehru from fading out.