"This volume highlights the movement from a shared past under the broad rubric of `Commonwealth', to an individual assertion of separate identities. Although, of the writers included in the volume, some may have adopted Western traditions of the novel, others have moved towards their own regional/local traditions of form and style. There is an unapologetic assertion of ethnic pride, a consciousness of the `otherness' in their literary production at the same time that they appeal to a larger global readership. Although a distinct pattern may not emerge out of the novels discussed, a distinct voice does emerge out of the artistic expression of the writers which is at once assertive and subdued, subtle and belligerent, artistic and propagandist, regional and cosmopolitan, subjective as also preoccupied with the universal concerns of humanity. Of interest also is the way these writers reconstruct the complexities and multiplicities of their lives through the various literary techniques they employ. The majority of the novelists included in this volume are those whose works have attracted critical attention not merely in their own countries but also internationally. Established writers like Margaret Atwood, Nadine Gordimer, Keri Hulme and Kate Grenville figure side by side with younger upcoming writers like Manju Kapoor, Monica Ali and Chandini LokugÃ©."

Women on Women: A Reading of Commonwealth Women Writers

History

Asia

Rawat Publications

<p>"It is being gradually realized today that the present civilization of India is not merely a development of the Aryan culture, as has so far been generally held. Indian culture is a composite product, resulting from the fusion of several cultures, in which the contribution of the Sindhu valley civilization has been significant. The Harappan civilization stood alongside the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations as the early, advanced civilizations of humankind, during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Initial archeological excavations that took place as late as between 1922-1927 in the region of the Indus valley, have thrown up rich evidence of the existence of the Harappan civilization, but much study still needs to be done to arrive at a clear and scientific understanding of this civilization. The Harappan script has still not been deciphered. This book is a search for and a clarification of the various strands of diverse cultures that have contributed to the emergence of Indian culture."</p>

Cultural History of Ancient India: Diversity, Syncretism, Synthesis

D'Souza, Leela

"In India, over 30 per cent of the total population lives below the poverty line. Such a high degree of poverty highlights a serious dimension of the country's urban scenario also. The insufficient employment opportunities and poor income levels add to the miseries of the urban poor. They live in sub-standard settlements like slums, unauthorized colonies, squatters, pavements, resettlement colonies, etc. These settlements are considered to be the most filthiest in the world. Taking a serious note of the growing urban poverty, the Government of India spent hundreds of crores of rupees on implementing various schemes and programmes with no significant result. Urban poverty continues to be an area of major concern and unbeatable challenge. It was against this backdrop, experts working on different aspects of urban poverty were approached to contribute articles expressing their views and giving their first-hand experiences. The reading of this volume can be immensely useful to professionals, government officials, activists etc., who are involved in poverty alleviation programmes."

Dimensions of Urban Poverty

"Changing Indian Society, penned by India's leading social scientist of international renown, encapsulates the enormous empirical and statistical data to present a profile of Indian society as a multicultural entity composed of different ethnic origins, various religions, and belonging to a variety of speech communities, and yet bonded together as a nation, sharing a common polity and economy. Written simply and without jargon, in a style intelligible to a lay reader, the book provides a sound sociological perspective to comprehend Indian society and its major social institutions. It introduces urban and rural India; gives a glimpse of tribal India; explains marriage, kinship, and the caste system; and outlines major changes occurring in Indian society. The book offers a good Introduction to Indian society for a variety of audiences: students graduating in social sciences, candidates preparing for competitive examinations, business executives -- particularly representatives of multinationals in need of orientation to Indian culture and society, foreign tourists, and students in other countries auditing a course on India, and, of course, the general public. "

Changing Indian Society

Atal, Yogesh

"What makes something social? Is human social reality, the object-domain of the human sciences, essentially opaque to the explanatory method of nomological objectivity that characterizes the physical sciences? Do historical and cultural underpinnings of human existence severely restrain the ambition of objectivity in the human sciences? Or, is there a sui generis paradigm of social objectivity in social enquiry, such as illustrated by Marxism and Ethnomethodology? Besides, do diversity of traditions constrain social understanding in a way that inevitably results in cultural relativism? What does understanding tradition consist in, including whatever we might mean by ``the Indian tradition''? These questions about humanity and tradition are dealt with in this book from a variety of interesting perspectives. Together these various modes of understanding provide an illuminating account of human self-understanding in social enquiry."

Social Reality and Tradition: Essays in Modes of Understanding

"The discipline of sociology is fast developing in India but there is not a single introductory book in English barring a few written by foreign authors, which do not serve much the Indian students. This book has been designed to cater to this need of textbook for introductory sociology courses. It maintains the comprehensive coverage, readable style, liveliness and numerous other features to make it popular among the student community, particularly those approaching sociology for the first time. It is therefore both student-friendly and jargon-free, to ensure that readers are able to get the most out of the text. Each chapter opens with a list of the central issues discussed therein. Besides, key terms and conclusions drawn are highlighted. Suitable examples, figures and illustrations reinforce the text. It is hoped that this book will serve as a base text for sociology teachers and students alike, as well as for all those preparing for various competitive and civil services entrance examinations."

Sociology: Basic Concepts

Politics & Social Sciences

Rawat, H.K.

Social Sciences

Indian Administration: Retrospect and Prospect is a textbook with a difference. Prepared mainly for the benefit of students of Public Administration, it includes a wide range of materials, from academic journals, reports of government commissions and committees, as well as the experiences of the Indian civil servants in the field. It is a comprehensive compendium that not only sums up the events of the past, but also suggests workable guidelines for the future administration of the country. The challenges of democracy, development, information technology, liberalization, privatization, and globalization are being accommodated in the developing structures and changing processes of Indian Public Administration. Students of the discipline can explore the impact of past legacies, the maladies that ail the present, and the new public management patterns that are emerging for the future.

Indian Administration: Retrospect and Prospect

Sharma, P. D.

Sharma B. M.

The book is based on an empirical study of women domestic workers serving in middle class households. Observable facts collected from Ranchi city have been analyzed and interpreted in the backdrop of literature available on gender issues and women's studies. The overlap in the women domestics' social sphere as workers and as women has been well explained and elaborated. Issues such as their socio-economic status, everyday struggles and the relationship with their employers have been observed and analyzed. Theoretically, the book makes use of Marxist and functionalist categories drawn from a variety of feminist literature. It could well prove to be a sequel to other studies and deserves wider attention of sociologists, social workers, activists, policy makers, planners and even housewives who are the potential employers.

Women Domestics: Workers within Households

Singh, Vinita

Despite far-reaching changes in policy and programming aimed at improving reproductive and sexual health conditions in India, the last decade has seen mixed results in areas ranging from maternal health to sexual violence; service delivery to gender inequality. This comprehensive volume presents 19 pioneering studies, each offering key insights that enhance the understanding of a broad range of sexual and reproductive health issues in India. The topics include: maternal reproductive health, infertility, abortion, treatment, sexual relationship formation, men's sexual health, coercive sex, and spousal communication. Findings also highlight the situation and needs of such vulnerable populations as adolescents, street children, and the urban and rural poor. By maintaining an emphasis on community and client perspectives, these studies provide crucial information on colloquial understandings of symptoms and treatment-seeking, along with experiences of morbidity and public vs. private service utilization. This collection of research findings represents a significant step forward. It provides useful insights for health policy development and public and NGO sector programming. Additionally, Reproductive Health in India highlights gaps in evidence and priority issues that still need to be researched.

Reproductive Health in India: New Evidence

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Men's Health

<p>The essays in this book represent the fruits of an interdisciplinary study of four temples in Rajasthan, India, jointly conducted by Lawrence A. Babb (anthropology), John E. Cort (religious studies), and Michael W. Meister (art history). The temples were chosen because they are quite ancient yet are also vibrantly functioning today. The results of the authors' research dramatically vindicate the idea that when disciplines are combined, the result is greater than the sum of the parts. The book shows that a functioning temple is many things at once. More than a mere physical structure, a temple is a center of economic activity, a focal point for political power, and a confluence of social relationships of every conceivable sort. It is also an object of aesthetic contemplation and judgment. And perhaps above all, a temple is a locus of sacred power that evokes deeply felt responses in those who worship there. Desert Temples weaves these many threads together in a volume unique in the extent to which it stresses the holistic approach to the study of India's sacred centers.</p>

Desert Temples: Sacred Centers of Rajasthan in Historical, Art-Historical, and Social Contexts

Arts & Photography

Babb, Lawrence A.

Cort, John E.

Meister, Michael W.

History & Criticism

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