Vasundhra - Author at Anthroholic - Anthropologist

Vasundhra

Vasundhra began her journey as an anthropologist in India, drawn to people, their stories, traditions, and ancestry. Her work has taken her from tribal villages and nomadic landscapes to advanced laboratories studying the human past, where she witnessed how deeply culture, environment, and policy shape health outcomes. Her fieldwork with pastoral nomads in Leh-Ladakh revealed how climate change quietly erodes livelihoods and health security, while her research at BITS Pilani during the COVID-19 pandemic explored the psychosocial dimensions of resilience and well-being. These experiences shaped her conviction that health is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Transitioning into policy research, she worked on a project on affordable generic medicines in Karnataka, collaborating with doctors, entrepreneurs, and communities to evaluate India’s largest public health initiative. This experience underscored for her the systemic barriers to healthcare access and the need for policies informed by lived realities. Now pursuing a Master’s in Global Health at the University of Geneva, Switzerland and complementing it with courses in environmental economics and food sustainability at the Graduate Institute, Vasundhra continues to bridge anthropology and policy. Her work reflects a commitment to advancing health equity by addressing the social, cultural, and structural determinants that shape human well-being.
  • Articles: 282
Folk beliefs are essentially the informal creeds that people abide by, not due to any scientific rationale, but because of an accepted, shared wisdom that has withstood the test of time. They reflect a society's cultural unconscious, shaping social behavior and norms.

Folk Beliefs and Practices

Folk beliefs are essentially the informal creeds that people abide by, not due to any scientific rationale, but because of an accepted, shared wisdom that has withstood the test of time. They reflect a society's cultural unconscious, shaping social behavior and norms.

Folk literature, also referred to as oral tradition, encompasses the lore, tales, songs, proverbs, riddles, and other cultural narratives that have been preserved by communities and passed down through generations.

Folk Literature

Folk literature, also referred to as oral tradition, encompasses the lore, tales, songs, proverbs, riddles, and other cultural narratives that have been preserved by communities and passed down through generations.

Folk games are traditional games that originated from different cultures and civilizations across the globe. They are usually passed down from generation to generation and are enriched with cultural narratives, historical significance, and traditional values.

Folk Games

Folk games are traditional games that originated from different cultures and civilizations across the globe. They are usually passed down from generation to generation and are enriched with cultural narratives, historical significance, and traditional values.

Urban society, the societal segment that resides in cities, has always been an intriguing subject for anthropologists. Its complexities, diversity, and constantly evolving nature provide a fertile ground for anthropological study.

Urban Society

Urban society, the societal segment that resides in cities, has always been an intriguing subject for anthropologists. Its complexities, diversity, and constantly evolving nature provide a fertile ground for anthropological study.

Peasant society represent a category of agrarian societies where the major mode of subsistence depends on small-scale agriculture. While the label ‘peasant’ may bear historical and cultural connotations, researchers aim to elucidate the anthropological understanding of peasant societies, drawing on key studies and theories.

Peasant Society

Peasant society represent a category of agrarian societies where the major mode of subsistence depends on small-scale agriculture. While the label ‘peasant’ may bear historical and cultural connotations, researchers aim to elucidate the anthropological understanding of peasant societies, drawing on key studies and theories.

The Folk-Urban Continuum is a theoretical construct in anthropology and sociology that postulates a smooth and gradual transition from rural, folk societies to urban, modern ones. The concept was first introduced by American sociologist Robert Redfield in 1941.

Folk-Urban Continuum

The Folk-Urban Continuum is a theoretical construct in anthropology and sociology that postulates a smooth and gradual transition from rural, folk societies to urban, modern ones. The concept was first introduced by American sociologist Robert Redfield in 1941.

Folklore, a vibrant assembly of cultural expressions, has long been a fertile field for exploring gender perspectives. It's a canvas on which societies paint their gender norms, roles, and expectations, offering anthropologists valuable insight into the underlying cultural structures of societies past and present.

Gender in Folklore

Folklore, a vibrant assembly of cultural expressions, has long been a fertile field for exploring gender perspectives. It's a canvas on which societies paint their gender norms, roles, and expectations, offering anthropologists valuable insight into the underlying cultural structures of societies past and present.

The integration of folklore and tourism industry allows a mutual symbiosis, wherein folklore benefits from increased exposure and tourism thrives on rich, authentic cultural experiences.

Folklore and Tourism

The integration of folklore and tourism industry allows a mutual symbiosis, wherein folklore benefits from increased exposure and tourism thrives on rich, authentic cultural experiences.

Folklore comprises the traditional beliefs, customs, stories, and sayings of a people, passed through generations. Before the advent of mass media, folklore was transmitted primarily through oral narratives, performances, and artifacts.

Mass Media and Folklore

Folklore comprises the traditional beliefs, customs, stories, and sayings of a people, passed through generations. Before the advent of mass media, folklore was transmitted primarily through oral narratives, performances, and artifacts.

Folkloristic Anthropology, also known as Anthropological Folkloristics, is a cross-disciplinary study that delves into the socio-cultural fabric of societies by analyzing their folklore. It uses the stories, myths, legends, dances, and rituals of a community as a lens to understand the underlying beliefs, values, and norms that shape and are shaped by the social structure.

Folkloristic Anthropology

Folkloristic Anthropology, also known as Anthropological Folkloristics, is a cross-disciplinary study that delves into the socio-cultural fabric of societies by analyzing their folklore. It uses the stories, myths, legends, dances, and rituals of a community as a lens

Folkloristics, or the study of folklore, is an essential discipline within cultural anthropology. It involves investigating the traditions, stories, songs, dances, and other cultural artifacts that a group of people share, with the goal of understanding their cultural, historical, and social contexts.

Folkloristics

Folkloristics, or the study of folklore, is an essential discipline within cultural anthropology. It involves investigating the traditions, stories, songs, dances, and other cultural artifacts that a group of people share, with the goal of understanding their cultural, historical, and social contexts.

The terms "folk" and "lore" individually pertain to people and knowledge, respectively. However, when combined as "folklore", they represent a rich cultural field of study filled with stories, myths, customs, and practices that have been passed down through generations

Concept of Folk and Lore (Folklore)

The terms "folk" and "lore" individually pertain to people and knowledge, respectively. However, when combined as "folklore", they represent a rich cultural field of study filled with stories, myths, customs, and practices that have been passed down through generations.