States, political processes and identity: reflections on modern India

India is a gigantic federal polity. Given its ethos of an uninterrupted civilisation, the democratic experience is new to the country and has led to tensions and conflicts. In particular, India has witnessed an unprecedented upsurge in communal, sectarian and regional tensions in the recent i past. Simultaneously, religious, class and caste groups have emerged as powerful expressions of political consciousness. Taken together, these developments have had the effect of bringing the very nature of the Indian State into question. It is these new and potentially dangerous challenges posed to the Indian polity which this exciting volume discusses and explores.

The seventeen essays that comprise the book focus attention on State power and on the ways in which State intervention has affected the relationship between more modern institutions and caste-community identities. The contributors to the volume suggest that the manifestations and expressions of relatively narrow identities have obstructed the growth of national unity and weakened efforts to mobilise the Indian people on broad democratic issues.

Whereas most studies of the Indian State have stressed the primacy of the political process, this book recognises the importance of the relationship between the State and social forces. The contributors also highlight the crucial nature of the social determinants of both State action and mass consciousness. Another distinguishing feature of this volume is that it analyses the Indian State and the nature of identity from varied perspectives.
This book will be essential reading for political scientists and all those interested in the process of socio-political change in India.