Contemporary India: Transitions

Any biography of independent India necessarily constitutes a profound intellectual challenge. It must be framed so as to accommodate, as also to encourage a dialogue between, the multitudinous voices that comprise India. Recognising that there are many Indias within India, this volume brings together a diverse and distinguished group of scholars and commentators–including historians, philosophers, journalists, jurists, writers, economists, theatre critics, sociologists, environmentalists and political scientists–to reflect upon the multiple transitions which are under way in the polity, economy, society and civilisational space of contemporary India. The book is divided into five sections. The first, civilisation in transition, reflects upon the civilisational terrain of India from the perspectives of history, language and literature, the intracultural representation of India which poses a challenge to the multicultural idea and the suppressed voice of the delits. The implications of India’s recent decision to open up its economy are discussed in the second section, which includes a view from industry, a comment about agriculture, and an analysis of welfare services. The third section, polity in transition, traverses the terrain from the adopted constitutional order, through institutions and processes that make up the polity, to the normative agenda for the future. The fourth section covers a number of important themes within the domain of society, including caste, gender, and the status of the media in India. The final section of the book, Goa in transition, is intended to redress the neglect of Goa in studies of contemporary India. It looks at issues that loom large in Goa today, including the state of its finances, the problem of the trade-off between development and the environment, and a survey of a decade of politics in Goa. Weaving diverse perspectives and voices together, this stimulating volume of original essays presents a fascinating account of the complex processes that shape India’s transition from an ex-colony to a modern nation in charge of its own destiny. It is certain to be of interest to those involved in all the social science disciplines, particularly sociology, political science, history economics, management and gender studies. It will also serve the purpose of a single text for introductory courses on contemporary India.