Crisis and Change in Contemporary India


Book Description

Contains essays analyzing the social and political contributions of Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar; the evolution of India's post- independence polity; the formation of civic loyalty; the politics of language; the current "crisis of governability"; the problem of religious and secular identities; and issues relating to community, public health, psychology, and eco-politics. Acidic paper. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Crisis and Change Today


Book Description

Crisis and Change Today provides a solid introduction to Marxist social theory. The work's unique voice is expressed in its Socratic-dialogic approach, structured around forty questions that students have about society and social change. Topics range from theories of history, economics, unemployment, racial oppression, the state, fascism, the collapse of the Soviet bloc, and points of convergence and difference between the dialectical approach and other approaches to social science. The content and tone of the work invites students to evaluate various traditional and current explanations of social institutions and social processes and encourages them to weigh the debates and investigate further. The first edition was very well received (Distinguished Scholarship Award of the Section on Marxist Sociology of the ASA), and the second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to be relevant for students today. Though the first edition was written during the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the growing gap between the rich and the poor and the economic crisis have generated more interest in using Marxist analysis both as a tool to analyze and understand capitalism and the weaknesses of past Marxist praxis.




The Rise And Fall of British Naval Mastery


Book Description

Paul Kennedy's classic naval history, now updated with a new introduction by the author This acclaimed book traces Britain's rise and fall as a sea power from the Tudors to the present day. Challenging the traditional view that the British are natural 'sons of the waves', he suggests instead that the country's fortunes as a significant maritime force have always been bound up with its economic growth. In doing so, he contributes significantly to the centuries-long debate between 'continental' and 'maritime' schools of strategy over Britain's policy in times of war. Setting British naval history within a framework of national, international, economic, political and strategic considerations, he offers a fresh approach to one of the central questions in British history. A new introduction extends his analysis into the twenty-first century and reflects on current American and Chinese ambitions for naval mastery. 'Excellent and stimulating' Correlli Barnett 'The first scholar to have set the sweep of British Naval history against the background of economic history' Michael Howard, Sunday Times 'By far the best study that has ever been done on the subject ... a sparkling and apt quotation on practically every page' Daniel A. Baugh, International History Review 'The best single-volume study of Britain and her naval past now available to us' Jon Sumida, Journal of Modern History




Water


Book Description

Water: The Looming Crisis in India analyzes the key issues in developing national freshwater policies for the mainland countries of the South Asian sub-continent. Ray suggests that freshwater policy must cover all aspects of physical environment and human life, by noting that food and drought management are parts of freshwater policy and acknowledging that water is a scarce natural resource and has economic value. He calls for the development of basin-wide policies to minimize conflicts within riparian countries, as well as a freshwater policy baseline to minimize internal conflicts on water sharing arrangements. By pointing out the need for full participation of all stakeholders in developing a baseline policy including people displaced by the construction of large dams, Ray suggests a new system in which riparian countries are guaranteed that no water-related project proceeds without a transparently developed environmental impact assessment and evaluation of alternative options.




The Crisis of India


Book Description




India


Book Description

India, long known for its huge population, religious conflicts and its status as not-quite best friend ally of the United States has moved from the backwaters of world attention to centre stage. Afghanistan and Pakistan with whom India is in almost conflict, are neighbours. India has developed a nuclear capability which also has a way of grabbing attention. This book discusses current issues and historical background and provides a thorough index important to a better understanding of this diverse country.




Interpreting Contemporary India


Book Description

This book is a collection of the authors editorials and articles, almost all of them originally published in The Hans India. It provides a perspective on contemporary political, economic, and social dimensions of India. It analyses current constitutional and legal questions, and the writer adopts a lucid journalistic style without compromising on academic flavor. The tome offers insights into Indias human development challenges, foreign policy issues, environmental concerns, disaster management, etc. The authors comments and reflections on a diverse range of issues are logically presented to provide comprehensive information and interpretation of the current challenges and concerns of India. Specifically, the subjects include multiple facets of India like democratic practice, secularism, separation of powers, reservations, welfare, legislations, political defections, gender question, education, taxation, inflation, planning, agrarian crisis, economic reforms, employment, marginalisation, climate change, etc. The work will be immensely useful to a cross-section of readers, especially academics such as students preparing for various academic and competitive pursuits. Journalists can gain insight into how to write editorial and analyse news. The nature of subjects dealt with and the facile style of presentation makes it an interesting general reading for anyone who intends to take a peek into Indias current epoch.




Localizing Governance in India


Book Description

Participatory governance has a long history in India and this book traces historical-intellectual trajectories of participatory governance and how older Western discourses have influenced Indian policymakers. While colonial rulers devolved power to accommodate dissenting voices, for independent India, participatory governance was a design for democratizing governance in its true sense. Participation also acted as a vehicle for localizing governance. The author draws on both Western and non-Western theoretical treatises and the book seeks to conceptualize localizing governance also as a contextual response. It also makes the argument that despite being located in different socio-economic and political milieu, thinkers converge to appreciate localizing governance as perhaps the only reliable means to democratize governance. The book aims to confirm this argument by reference to sets of evidence from the Indian experience of localizing governance. By attempting a genealogy of participatory governance in the West and in India, and an empirical study of participatory governance in India, the book sheds light on the exchange of ideas and concepts through space and time, thus adding to the growing body of literature in the social sciences on ‘conceptual flow’. It will be of interest to political scientists and historians, in particularly those studying South Asia.





Book Description




The Crisis of Secularism in India


Book Description

In this timely, nuanced collection, twenty leading cultural theorists assess the contradictory ideals, policies, and practices of secularism in India.