Most of the papers in this collection deal with one or more of the problems that our society is facing in consolidating itself into a nation and in living up to the ideals of democracy, secularism and social equality. These papers, which were primarily written as special lectures and seminar presentations, were written at various times spread over a period of little less than a decade.
Though the perspective from which these papers were written is that of a sociologist, one cannot really discuss any societal problem exclusively from the standpoint or within the framework of a single discipline. For, one has to trespass into areas which are more legitimately those of an economist or a political scientist. Hence, the book will interest not only sociologists but political scientists and economists as well.
Contents: Introduction. 1. The contemporary social situation. 2. The spell of Gandhi. 3. After independence. 4. Nehru on nationalism. 5. India and the concept of nationhood. 6. Ethnicity and nationhood in India today. 7. The process of social transformation: Nehru’s perspective. 8. Our paradigm of social transformation. 9. Secularism and equal regard for all religions. 10. Social development: the Asian experience. 11. India’s unity in diversity. Index.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR M.S. Gore
M.S. Gore was born in Hubli, Karnataka on 15 August 1921. He had his school education in Hubli and his collegiate education in colleges affiliated to the Bombay University in Dharwar, Pune, and Sangli. He graduated with English Honours in the year 1942. Thereafter he studied at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and obtained his post-graduate diploma in social Service Administration in 1945. He was the recipient of Sir Dorabji Tata Research Fellow, and later obtained his Master’s Degree in sociology from Bombay University in 1948. In 1951-53 he studied sociology in the Columbia University (USA) and obtained his Doctoral Degree from there in 1961. He also worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Delhi School of Social Work from 1948 to 1951. He served as an Officiating Principal during 1953-54, and as Principal from 1954 to 1962, when he joined the Tata Institute of Social Sciences as Director and served the Institute in that capacity until his retirement in 1982. From 1983 to 1986 he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bombay. He was Visiting Lecturer at the Beloit College and at the Department of Sociology at the Wisconsin University in the United States in 1960-61. He is currently Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. As a social scientist his major areas of interest have been social work and sociology. His main research has been in the fields of social work, community development, social movements and the sociology of ageing. His recent book on Ambedkar’s social and political thought was rated as the best book on sociology published in 1993 and he was honoured with Ghurye Award for this. He has written several papers and authored and co-authored a number of books among which Social Work and Social Work Education; Urbanization and Family Change; Field Studies in the Sociology of Education; Social Aspects of Development; and the Social Context of an Ideology are widely known. He has worked in several voluntary and governmental bodies and committees. He was Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Aftercare Programmes of the Central Social Welfare Board (1995), Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (1971-77), Chairman of the Police Training Committee appointed by the Government of India (1973-75) and a member of the National Police Commission (1977-79). He was given a special award by the Indian Council of Social Welfare for outstanding contribution to social work. He has also been a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award in 1975. He was recipient of the Senior Award by the Homi Bhabha Fellowships Council in 1982 and the National Fellowship of the Indian Council of Social Science Research during 1990-92.
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