The long-standing and continuing debate on Indian culture and on what constitutes ‘Indianness’ manifests itself in many ways, some more subtle than others. In India, the historical passage to modernity, mediated by colonial authority and by nationalist resistance to it, has impacted all cultural disciplines. This collection of 17 original essays provides insights into the various ways in which the interrelated issues of culture, identity and Indianness are expressed in contemporary times. Divided into four sections, the contributions range from detailed and scholarly essays to critical reviews of literature and reflections on experience. The first two sections deal with music, art, literature and translation, theatre and philosophy. These are fields of knowledge and practice in which there are well-developed indigenous traditions. Sections three and four cover fields in which the very existence of indigenous traditions is a matter of controversy and debate–feminism, the writing of history, and science. Overall, the fields of inquiry chosen are those where traditional practices have entered into a dialogue with ‘modern’ perspectives, leading to significant outcomes. The contributors–distinguished specialists writing for a general readership–outline and evaluate significant developments since independence in their respective fields. This interdisciplinary volume testifies that the theme of identity continues to be a potent reference point, even in the more abstract, formal, academic, creative and symbolic realms of culture. It will attract a wide readership in disciplines such as cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, the visual and performing arts, and gender studies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kamala Ganesh
Kamala Ganesh is Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai, Mumbai. Her areas of interest include gender studies, caste and kinship, and cultural studies. Professor Ganesh has earlier taught Sociology at St Xavier’s College and SNDT Women’s University, both in Mumbai. She was also Senior Fellow of the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), 1992-94, and Secretary of the Commission on Women, International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (1988-93). She has been involved in research work for the ICSSR and for UNESCO’s Population and Human Settlements Division. A member of the managing committee of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, Kamala Ganesh has contributed numerous papers to journals and edited volumes, besides being the author of Boundary Walls: Caste and Women in a Tamil Community (1993) and the co-editor of Negotiation and Social Space: A Gendered Analysis of Marriage and Kinship Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (Sage, 1998).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Usha Thakkar
Usha Thakkar is Honorary Director, Institute of Research on Gandhian Thought and Rural Development, Mumbai. She retired as Professor and Head of Department, Political Science, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai. Her research work has focused mainly on Indian politics, women’s studies and Gandhian studies. Widely published, Usha Thakkar is the co-author of Kautilya’s Arthashastra (1980), Women and Men Voters (1981) and Women in India (2001); co-editor of Politics in Maharashtra (1995) and India in World Affairs (1999); and the author of various books in Gujarati, including Bharatini Videsh Niti (India’s Foreign Policy) and Strio ane Rajkaran (Women and Politics in India), both published in 2000.
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