The volumes of the Project on the History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization aim to discovering the main aspects of India’s heritage and to present them in an interrelated manner. In spite of their unitary look, these volumes recognize the difference between the areas of material civilization and those of ideational culture. The project is executed by scholars with different ideological persuasions and methodological approaches and is marked by ‘Methodological Pluralism’. In spite of its primary historical character, this project, both in its conceptualization and execution, has been shaped by many scholars drawn from different disciplines. It is for the first time that an endeavour of such a unique and comprehensive character has been undertaken to study critically a major world civilization like India. This important volume provides an overview of the history of social, economic, and political thought prior to the development of disciplinary categories in social sciences. It contextualizes the thought movements in the matrix of pre-modern intellectual traditions as well as the long-range history of society, polity, and economy in modern India. Thematically organized into five sections, the first part examines the evolution of economic thinking in modern India. The next section deals with the discourse of social reform, critical studies of society, and the emergence of academic sociology. The third part highlights the perspectives of the hegemonized and oppressed social groups–the view ‘from below’. The two concluding segments respectively discuss gender and reform movements and the role of political thought in the National Movement. This volume, and others in the series, will be of special interest to scholars and students of history, philosophy, sociology, political science, cultural studies, as well as general readers interested in the civilization and culture India.
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