Alien Concepts and South Asian Reality: Responses and Reformulations
"The papers are marked by a high degree of intellectual perspicacity and help us to reformulate certain "alien" concepts to our indigenous needs.... Oommen gives us a competent analysis of the extant situation. His "reformulation" could act as the springboard of fresh political thinking to resolve the present crises. "\ —The Tribune\ "The attempt to re-examine some of the prevalent social science theories is a very relevant exercise. It is a book which should be of interest not only to...
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"The papers are marked by a high degree of intellectual perspicacity and help us to reformulate certain "alien" concepts to our indigenous needs.... Oommen gives us a competent analysis of the extant situation. His "reformulation" could act as the springboard of fresh political thinking to resolve the present crises." --The Tribune "The attempt to re-examine some of the prevalent social science theories is a very relevant exercise. It is a book which should be of interest not only to social scientists but also social activists." --Social Action Traditionally, third world countries have been viewed as being useful only in determining the hegemony of either capitalism or socialism. Alien Concepts and South Asian Reality takes a giant leap forward in establishing independent Indian social science thought. Basing his concepts on empirical evidence from Asia, Author T. K. Oommen thoughtfully reformulates various well-known theories and assertively shakes off the "intellectual colonialism" that third-world countries have been subject to in the past. Innovative and bold, this volume offers a synthesis of information for social scientists and scholars all over the world. Recommended for studies in the following subject areas: sociology, social anthropology, social and political thought, political science, psychology, and social movements. Booknews Oommen (sociology, Jawaharial Nehru U., New Delhi) challenges the assumption that Indian social science is a mere offshoot of western or Marxian theories. He presents responses to five major western concepts, and reformulates some of them into Indian themes such as the nature of the political mobilization of the agrarian classes, the juxtaposition of movements and institutions, the theory of alienation, and the relationship between Hinduism and economic development. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
List of Tables8Acknowledgements9Introduction111The Rural-Urban Continuum Re-examined in the Indian Context212Charisma, Social Structure and Social Change383Community Power Structure in Rural India554The Theory of Voluntary Associations in a Cross-Cultural Perspective765Student Power in India: A Sociological Analysis906Agrarian Classes and Political Mobilization1217Political Alienation and Internal Threats to the Indian Polity1458Movements and Institutions: Structural Opposition or Processual Linkages?1559Erving Goffman and the Study of Everyday Protest17010Religion and Development in Hindu Society18911Western Vision and Eastern Survival: Towards a Futuristic Agenda20012State, Nation and Ethnie: The Processual Linkages214References236Index246
\ BooknewsOommen (sociology, Jawaharial Nehru U., New Delhi) challenges the assumption that Indian social science is a mere offshoot of western or Marxian theories. He presents responses to five major western concepts, and reformulates some of them into Indian themes such as the nature of the political mobilization of the agrarian classes, the juxtaposition of movements and institutions, the theory of alienation, and the relationship between Hinduism and economic development. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
