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082			_aIB 305.6971 SRI
100			_aSrinivasan, Nirmala
245		0	_aPrisoners of faith: a view from within
260			_aNew Delhi _bSage Publication _c1989
300			_a219p.
520			_aMost multi-ethnic societies in the world are today experiencing a growth in assertions of ethnic identity. This is particularly true of developing societies where this process has spawned a series of tensions and conflicts. Yet, the concept of 'minority' remains little understood. Further, most conceptualisa- tions of what constitutes a 'minority are products of developed societies and do not really apply in countries such as India. It is this which inspired Dr Nirmala Srinivasan to study the lebenswelt of Mus- lims and Christians which in turn deter- mines their private-public identity orienta- tions as members of the two largest minority communities in India. She successfully argues the case for conceptualising ‘minor- ity' in terms of individual perceptions and awareness. Further, she critically evaluates the Eurocentric models of the term 'minor- ity' and presents a novel attempt to synthe- sise phenomenology and Marxism for the study of personal identity as social structure and process. Dr Srinivasan maintains that the conventional wisdom of orthodox social reflection has obviously become inadequate and postulates an alternate approach rele- 'vant to the contemporary Indian context. In the process, the author explodes the myth that ‘minority' is a monolithic concept and demonstrates the multiple definitions underlying it. She argues, instead, that ethnicity is a sensitising concept which con- stitutes the social aspect of the self in the multiple realities of everyday situations. As such, Dr Srinivasan resurrects the indi- vidual to the level of theory. Cast in the tradition of the sociology of knowledge and rich with both empirical evi- dence and theoretical formulations, this book will appeal to both students and schol- ars of sociology and anthropology. Further, it will be of interest to scholars, adminis- trators, and policy-makers interested in understanding the processes at work in a multi-ethnic society such as India.
650			_aLucknow ethnic relation
942			_cB _2ddc