Mind and Society: From Indian Studies to General Sociology

A book much needed by India, Indian sociology and the Indian sense of self. This is a strikingly bold volume, diverse in content and yet united by its search for what might be called a truly Indian modernity in the sense of the Gandhian swaraj of mind. A swaraj unfettered by the history of colonialism and the continuing domination of the post-colonial West in both approach and choice of subject matter in Indian academics which continues to define contemporary Indian theory and practice today, both inside and outside the university. This is a work in Indian academics that truly grapples with the concept of Gandhian swaraj in relation to Western thought - its science, philosophy and sociology and its classification of knowledge. It not only analyses the structure of modern Western philosophy and sociology, but also offers some possible solutions to finding our way out of its unavoidable dualisms. It analyses the classification and functioning of the modern university as a social institution. It offers a brilliant analysis of production, reproduction, and obsolescence in post-modern society and then goes on to explore Indian modernity in relation to medievalism and its religions of Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam.