Jaipur • New Delhi • Bengaluru • Guwahati • Kolkata
Among the issues being extensively debated throughout the world
today are the elevance of the nation-state, the role of civil society in good
governance, and the relationship between social movements and social policy.
Professor Oommen analyses these issues and simultaneously contests several of
the prevailing conceptualisations, both Indian and Western, while invoking
South Asian/Indian empirical reality to interrogate, modify and reformulate
western theory.
Following an over-arching 'Introduction', the three interrelated
themesnation, civil society and social movementsare discussed in separate sections,
each containing four chapters. Part I examines contentious notions of nation
and nationality in 20th century South Asia. The third and fourth chapters focus
on India with special reference to religion and language and highlight Indian
exceptionalism and its implications.
The second part looks at the relationship between civil society,
state and market, emphasising the process of autonomisation of the three in
India and how its trajectory differs from that of the West; discusses the
positive and negative aspects of civil society; delineates the pre-requisites
in civil society for good governance; and views civil society from the
perspective of the Dalits.
The third part studies social movements and their relationship
with social policy. The author presents a comparative analysis of social
movements with special reference to France, India and Poland; locates some of
the specificities of social movements in the Third World; and links the notions
of multiple modernity and new social movements.
Thought-provoking and comprehensive, this volume will appeal to a
vast readership, ranging from students of sociology, political science,
history, social anthropology and cultural studies to professionals in civil
society organisations, policy makers, bureaucrats and politicians.
Part I: Nation, Religion and Language
1. Conceptualising
Nation and Nationality in South Asia
2. New
Nationalisms and Collective Rights: The Case of South Asia
3. Religious
Nationalism and Democratic Polity in India: An Untenable Linkage
4. Language and
Nation: For a Cultural Renewal of India
Part II: Civil Society, State and Governance
5. State. Civil
Society and Market in India: Gradual Autonomisation
6. Civil Society:
Religion, Caste and Language in India
7. Civil Society
and Good Governance in India: Pre-Requisites and Goals
8. Civil Society
and the Deprived: The Relevance of Perspective from Below
Part III: Movements, Policies and Modernities
9. Movements and
Policies: A Misplaced Polarity in Social Research
10. Social Movements
in the Three Worlds: A Comparative Perspective
11. Social
Movements in the Third World: Some Specificities
12. Multiple
Modernities and the Rise of New Social Movements: The Case of India
T. K. Oommen retired in October 2002 from the
Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,
where he worked for over 30 years
