Full Description
The last four decades have seen momentous changes in the Indian society, in terms of its structure, processes, and the dynamics of social institutions. Sociological study of stratification, identity, ethnicity, democratic processes, and urbanism and modernity, have been at the centre stage of academic engagement with this transition, and Indian sociologists have contributed significantly to this corpus of knowledge. This book brings together an Introduction and 11 essays, written by well-known experts and commentators on modern Indian society. They cover a wide range of thematic and topical issues, from class constitution of Indian cities to social hierarchies; from the state of scheduled tribes to religion and politics; and from violence of law to health care in India. Compiled in the honour of Professor Dipankar Gupta, whose four-decade-long contribution to Indian sociology has shaped the way the discipline has evolved, is learnt, taught, and practiced in India, this volume brings to fore the key concerns of his scholarship. Going beyond Dipankar Gupta's work, the essays build an overarching theoretical framework, developing the threads of sociological scholarship in these areas.
Contents
INTRODUCTION: 'MODERNITY', IDENTITY, AND 'CITIZENSHIP'-DIPANKAR GUPTA AND SOCIOLOGY OF INDIA, SURINDER JODHKA; 1. STRANGERS, NEIGHBOURS, AND POLITICAL ORDER IN THE SOUTH ASIAN CITY, T.B. HANSEN; 2. THE 'EMBOURGEOISEMENT' OF A 'PROLETARIAN VANGUARD'? JONATHAN PARRY; 3. DOES THE MIDDLE CLASS HAVE BOUNDARIES? ANDRE BETEILLE; 4. OLD DIFFERENCES AND NEW HIERARCHIES: THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBES IN CONTEMPORARY INDIA, KRITI KAPILA; 5. WHAT IS CIVIL AND UNCIVIL IN CIVIL SOCIETY? CONCEPTUAL REFLECTIONS ON CONTEMPORARY INDIA, GURPREET MAHAJAN; 6. RELIGION, POLITICS, AND GOVERNANCE: A COMPARATIVE FRAMEWORK, GURHARPAL SINGH; 7. REFINING THE 'MODERATION THESIS' REGARDING 'RADICAL PARTIES': THE JANA SANGH AND THE BJP BETWEEN HINDU NATIONALISM AND COALITION POLITICS IN INDIA, CHRISTOPHE JAFFRELOT; 8. RESEARCHING HEALTH CARE IN INDIA, 1970-2010: A REFLEXIVE ACCOUNT, ROGER JEFFREY; 9. A DIFFERENT INDIA: NEW IMAGINARIES OF OTHERNESS AFTER THE REFORMS, RAVINDER KAUR; 10. VIOLENCE OF LAW AND CITIZENSHIP: CONUNDRUM OF DEMOCRACY UNDER NATIONALIST ETHOS, A. BIMOL AKOIJAM; 11. DEMOCRACY IN INDIA: OF, BY, AND FOR WHOM? SUMANTA BANERJEE; ABOUT THE EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTORS
