Thinking Social Science in India: Essays in Honour of Alice Thorner

Conceived as a festschrift in honour of Alice Thorner, this collection of original essays by prominent scholars from around the globe has a vast canvass. What binds the volume together is that all the contributors reflect on diverse issues which are seminal to the thinking of social science in India. Specific themes range from discussions of peasantry and the formation of new classes to climate and famine; from nationalism and shifting identities to modernity, globalisation and economic growth; from childhood and old age in India to the relevance of epics and autobiographies; and from assessments of Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar to secularism, pluralism and human rights. The 31 essays are grouped in four parts. The first part, entitled ‘Contemporary Perspectives’, explores themes and methodologies used by Alice by Daniel Thorner in analysing agrarian change, capitalism and gender issues. The second part, ‘Journey of the Economy’, focuses on many aspects of the economic changes that have occurred in India since 1947 while also analysing India’s unfinished development agenda. The contributors in the third part (‘Culture, Literature and Language’) examine fresh ways to understand and assess the world that constitutes India today. The last part, titled ‘Politics in History and History in Politics’, contains essays which interpret both the colonial heritage and present-day political processes in India. Among the many unique features of this volume is that it brings together economists, historians, political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists and those who specialise in gender issues and cultural studies. Together, they critically examine theories, perspectives and methodologies used by the social sciences in India. As such, this volume will be of immense value to all social scientists, regardless of their discipline.