What do you think?
Rate this book
India: Political Ideas and the Making of a Democratic Discourse
In this groundbreaking work, Gurpreet Mahajan tackles the predisposition of political theory to be limited by the Western canon. Bringing into focus how concepts central to the modern democratic political imaginary are interpreted in India, this book elaborates the ways that ideas of freedom, equality and difference are layered with new meanings and how questions of religion and state, critical reason and embedded self are understood in the Indian context.
Part of Zed's World Political Theories series, this remarkable work offers a glimpse of the social and political life of contemporary India, and how it differs from the dominant liberal paradigm.
Part of Zed's World Political Theories series, this remarkable work offers a glimpse of the social and political life of contemporary India, and how it differs from the dominant liberal paradigm.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2013
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 11, 2021
Why read this book?
The First chapter is unique, original contribution from this book.
What is the meat of the book?
The call for India to, Own, its own knowledge is herculean task. To jettison Western categories, equality, universal rights et al, is less likely to happen.
As far as I know, it is less likely to happen, and unsuccessful.
To match Western canon of knowledge, or to create its own canon, is less likely.
Japan successfully integrated the Western canon through, Rangaku, dutch way of knowledge in early and late 19th century.
Outline:
Chapter One - Indian political theory: beyond cultural essentialism
Chapter Two - Equality
Chapter Three - Freedom
Chapter Four - Religion
Chapter Five - Diversity
Chapter Six - The language of democratic discourse
The Author doesn't introduce, invent, create all indigenous categories in social science, political science.
(Eg: Swaraj)
I would recommend this to anyone interested in idea of India, Social Science, Political Science, History. The Book is well-written, organized, clear to follow.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
The First chapter is unique, original contribution from this book.
What is the meat of the book?
The call for India to, Own, its own knowledge is herculean task. To jettison Western categories, equality, universal rights et al, is less likely to happen.
As far as I know, it is less likely to happen, and unsuccessful.
To match Western canon of knowledge, or to create its own canon, is less likely.
Japan successfully integrated the Western canon through, Rangaku, dutch way of knowledge in early and late 19th century.
Outline:
Chapter One - Indian political theory: beyond cultural essentialism
Chapter Two - Equality
Chapter Three - Freedom
Chapter Four - Religion
Chapter Five - Diversity
Chapter Six - The language of democratic discourse
The Author doesn't introduce, invent, create all indigenous categories in social science, political science.
(Eg: Swaraj)
I would recommend this to anyone interested in idea of India, Social Science, Political Science, History. The Book is well-written, organized, clear to follow.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
Displaying 1 of 1 review