Full Description
For the last four decades, André Béteille's work has had a fundamental impact on Indian sociology. While drawing from universal theoretical perspectives, Béteille has adapted them to empirical realities in India. This collection brings together 19 of the most seminal writings of Béteille, selected and introduced by Dipankar Gupta. The topics of the essays range from caste, class, and religion to methodological issues in the social sciences, equality, and civil society. The overarching theme with which these essays are concerned is how a society may ensure equality of opportunity without making grave compromises to the well-being of civil society institutions.
Contents
PREFACE TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION (DIPANKAR GUPTA); ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; THE ANTI-UTOPIAN LIBERAL: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKS OF ANDRE BETEILLE (DIPANKAR GUPTA); SECTION I: STUDYING SOCIETY: ACADEMIC JUDGEMENT AND COMMON SENSE; SECTION II: METHODS AND CONCEPTS: OPERATIONALIZING THE FIELD; SECTION III: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN INDIA: THE DYNAMICS OF CLASS, STATUS, AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATION; SECTION IV: EQUALITY AND INDIVIDUALISM: THE TENSION BETWEEN FACT AND VALUE; SECTION V: CIVIL SOCIETY AND INSTITUTIONAL WELL-BEING; SECTION VI: APPENDICES: MY TWO GRANDMOTHERS; INTERVIEW WITH ANDRE BETEILLE; INDEX
