Area Studies

Over the past decade, India has emerged as the leader in the global market for outsourced white-collar jobs-one reason for the nation's rapid economic growth. This Wide Angle case study explores the experiences of emerging Indian professionals who have been recruited into positions requiring long hours, late-night shifts, and Westernized work habits. The program reveals the human and cultural impact of a controversial yet essentially unstoppable global economic trend-examining its effect on Indian family life, on the evolving landscape of urban India, and on the aspirations and daily lives of young Indian citizens, especially women, as they enter the work force. In addition, anchor Daljit Dhaliwal discusses social, political, and economic development in India with Michael Elliott, editor of Time International. (56 minutes)

In the 1990s, thousands of Salvadoran nationals living illegally in the U.S. were deported to their homeland. Some took Los Angeles gang culture with them. This Wide Angle report documents six months spent inside the transnational gang known as 18"-a Salvadoran permutation of L.A.'s notorious 18th Street gang. Following teenage "homeboys" as they patrol their turf in the streets of San Salvador, the program details the inner workings of 18-initiating would-be members through violent beatings, organizing support for friends in need, orchestrating gang activity behind prison walls, waging endless warfare against its enemies, and putting El Salvador high on the list of the most violent and crime-ridden countries in the world. The program also features anchor Daljit Dhaliwal discussing U.S. anti-gang efforts and deportation policy with Anne W. Patterson, Assistant Secretary of State for Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. (57 minutes)"

What can the Dead Sea Scrolls tell modern theologians about 1st-century Judaism and the roots of Christianity? Drawing on the experiences of Frank Moore Cross, of Harvard University; Emanuel Tov, chief editor of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project; James Charlesworth, of Princeton Theological Seminary; and other experts, this program describes the battle for open access to the scrolls while exploring the common heritage that links both faiths. In addition, Barbara Thiering airs her radical hypothesis. Footage of the Pope in Jerusalem and readings from the Dead Sea Scrolls Beatitudes and the Thanksgiving Scroll are included. (33 minutes)

The precarious hopes and daily struggles of Gaza strip residents are documented in this compelling program, which focuses on the 2003 summer ceasefire-a chapter of Israeli-Palestinian history filled with American ambivalence, disappointing prisoner releases, and the eventual disintegration of the ceasefire itself. A pacifist Gazan artist, his militant-minded son, and the pragmatic widow of a Hamas extremist all contribute to this street-level exploration of the summer's events-shedding light on the human and political consequences of the Israeli occupation, and clearly illustrating why Palestinian despair surpasses optimism. (Portions in Arabic with English subtitles, 50 minutes)

In 2003, as the United States confronted North Korea over its resumption of nuclear weapons production, North Koreans prepared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their supposed victory" over the South in the Korean War. This Wide Angle documentary tells the story of two teenage girls preparing to participate in the Mass Games, one of the last surviving Communist showcase pageants and a celebration of North Korea's statehood and revolutionary zeal. Capturing a mixture of excitement and contradiction at the heart of the state-produced spectacle, this program yields valuable insights into family life and daily activity in the little-known world of the "hermit kingdom." In addition, Professor Charles Armstrong discusses North Korea with anchor Jamie Rubin. (57 minutes)"

Use this ABC News program to increase viewer awareness of a heartbreaking but undeniable truth-that slavery is alive and well in the 21st century. The video shows how caste systems and other archaic traditions have perpetuated slavery in some poor countries, and points to the complacency of wealthier nations regarding this ongoing tragedy. Highlighting the work of Nigerian anti-slavery activists, including the imprisoned Ilguilas Weila of the human rights group Timidria, the video also features commentary from Amnesty International USA Executive Director William Schultz, who emphasizes the need for more action from the Western world. (22 minutes)

Mental images of storybook adventures and stereotyped people, on the one hand, and genocides and pandemics, on the other, make it practically impossible for Westerners to see Africa as it really is: a place with generational conflicts, cultural misunderstandings, and power struggles-just like anywhere else-plus the added dilemma of how to deal with the tension between tradition and modernity as the already rapid pace of progress continues to accelerate. Bringing together segments from other episodes in The Call of Africa series, this program strives to build bridges of genuine understanding about human rights, political power structures, the environment, public health, marriage customs, emigration, and many other vital topics through the views of real people living in the real Africa. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 57 minutes)

Beginning at Port Said, Egypt-a busy gateway from the Middle East into Africa-this program explores the many national and cultural identities found along the eastern face of the continent. Journeying down the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea, and into the Indian Ocean, the program documents apparently healthy relations between Sunni Muslims and Orthodox Christians in Massawa, Eritrea; khat distribution and addiction in the Republic of Djibouti; the ins and outs of the booming tea industry in Mombasa, Kenya; and day-to-day survival on the streets of Durban, South Africa-which some see as the New York of the continent, a city where dreams come to flourish or die. Portions are in other languages with English subtitles. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (53 minutes)

The Cape of Good Hope-and a stop in thriving Cape Town, South Africa-begins this eye-opening fact-finding voyage up the western edge of the continent. Presenting information and perspectives on a wide range of cultural and economic landscapes, the program explores the history and aftermath of civil war in Luanda, Angola; bustling street life, including an enterprising witch doctor, in Douala, Cameroon; voodoo fetish and secondhand car trafficking in Cotonou, Benin; the specter of the slave trade at Goree Island in Dakar, Senegal; and the split cultural identity of Tangiers, Morocco-a city as European as it is North African. Portions are in other languages with English subtitles. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (53 minutes)

The world is slowly awakening to a disturbing reality-that the diamond trade is a major source of financing for warfare and brutality in Africa. But diamonds are only one natural resource among many that feed bloody conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Congo, and other countries. This program explores the role of international business interests in fomenting rebellion and arming renegade military forces across the African continent-often as a means of obscuring other, equally nefarious, dealings and activities. Several experts and key players are interviewed, including Daniel Chea Sr., Liberia's Minister of National Defense; Zainab Bangura, director of Sierra Leone's National Accountabiliy Group; Kassim Basma, a diamond exporter; and Major General Patrick Cammaert, UN Division Commander, Eastern Congo. (54 minutes)

Corporate greed and vestigial colonialism are Africa's worst enemies-or is homegrown leadership responsible for the continent's troubles? This program explores that dichotomous question from the vantage point of former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings and Kenyan law student June Arunga, who undertake a voyage of discovery through Ghana, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Visiting a struggling fishing village, a tribal hunting ground, an AIDS treatment center, an African-owned gold mine, and an eerily preserved site of genocidal slaughter, the program eloquently documents Rawlings' and Arunga's interaction with the socioeconomic dilemmas and everyday realities of African life. A BBCW Production. (60 minutes)

Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped, but it wasn't considered a crime; it was a sentence handed down by a Pakistani tribal council-a punishment for the alleged indiscretions of her younger brother. This ABC News program confronts the council's decision, a ruling declared an outrage by a local imam and others, while introducing the courageous woman who chose to defy custom and fight for justice in the Pakistani courts. Includes commentary by Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and professor of international relations at American University in Washington, D.C. (22 minutes)

With millions dead of AIDS and millions more infected with HIV, Africa is in danger of becoming little more than a graveyard. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent Dave Marash deliver three successive reports on the AIDS epidemic currently spinning out of control in Zimbabwe. Together they address the hardships of a society composed of mostly the very old and the very young; the wildfire spread of HIV in a culture that supports casual sex; and the grim future facing a nation deprived of its core adult population. Archbishop Desmond Tutu joins in the discussion of this monumental tragedy. (58 minutes)

In sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is not only a vast humanitarian tragedy, but also a dire threat to regional stability. This Wide Angle documentary explores the role of Angola's military, the only functioning arm of the state, in a nationwide effort to combat the AIDS pandemic. The program identifies what may be the only benefit of Angola's long civil war-specifically, one of the lowest HIV infection rates in southern Africa-although this advantage is now endangered as refugees and soldiers reenter civilian life. Uncompromising in its social and political analysis, this program offers an arresting portrait of a nation and continent ill-equipped to defend against an exploding health crisis. In addition, Stephen Lewis discusses Africa's AIDS crisis with anchor Mishal Husain. (57 minutes)

A descendant of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, Akbar the Great succeeded in forging an empire in India that brought about a splendid period of political stability and religious tolerance. This program blends dramatizations of significant moments in Mogul history with location footage of intricate architectural landmarks to create a detailed account of Akbar's reign. Religious and secular customs from both then and now as well as events in Europe concurrent with the Mogul empire are also documented, in order to demonstrate the historical interplay between East and West and the survival of remnants of Mogul culture in India today. (54 minutes)