Culture and Rationality - The Politics of Social Change in Post-colonial India

Author: Subrata K MitraPublisher: Sage PublicationsYear: 1999Language: EnglishPages: 438ISBN/UPC (if available): 0761993142 DescriptionThis important book discusses the politics of social change in independent India. Using the post-colonial state as the backdrop, it addresses the theoretical issues of transformation in a multi-cultural and hierarchical society which is coping with the twin challenges of democratisation and development.According to the author, the main theoretical problem arises from the fact that the institutions and processes through which the objective of social change should be realised often carry the stamp of an alien culture and therefore do not enjoy the legitimacy they must have in order to be effective.Professor Subrata Mitra problematises these issues through discussions of the models and methods of social change, the interaction between modern institutions and traditional society, and the formation and integration of the modern Indian state. The essays in P