Postmodern Perspectives on Indian Society

The idea that our society is no longer governed by history or progress is proposed by Postmodernity. Postmodern society is highly pluralistic, differentiated and diverse. It rejects all grand narratives such as Marxism, Gandhism and rationalism, which are propagated as universalistic explanations of society. Postmodernity meets the challenges given by modernity. It is in the west, particularly the United States, that modernity has turned the society into a risk society. In India, modernity’s benefits are cornered by high caste Hindus, elites, political leaders and higher classes. The subalterns, the marginals and the disadvantaged masses have been left high and dry. It is the modernity which has created religious, academic and market fundamentalism and an age of dark dogma. Ethnicities have become part of damage done to the Indian society by modernity. Postmodernity combats the challenges given by modernity. In this book, the author applies the perspective of Postmodernity to the interpretation of increasingly changing contemporary Indian Society. With this he looks afresh at family, caste, village, culture and religion. It is for the first time that fundamentalism has been so thoroughly examined by a sociologist. The author shows great courage to establish that Indian society is a postmodern society. The book is a must for sociology and anthropology teachers, NGOs, researchers and students appearing for competitive examinations.