Culture, Communities and Change

The book is a collection of interdisciplinary papers dealing with the culture, history and traditions of Rajasthan. Rajasthan today is a rapidly changing society. Within a span of two generations, people have seen bigger changes in their patterns of life than the several preceding centuries. Yet many old habits, customs and traditions have been preserved. It is this that makes Rajasthan a magnificent laboratory for studying the process of social change. In order to understand the present, there is certainly a need to study the local diversities and specificities of socio-cultural life. Moreover, when we look at issues related to development, it is necessary to understand the tradition, culture and communities to be able to address these issues more effectively. Each paper in this volume is not only a substantive and important contribution to the study and understanding of the Rajasthani culture, community, history and traditions but also to the understanding of the processes of the change that are occurring.