Indian territory, from regional to local level, remains a fundamentally composite space, divided into varying segments of more homogeneous appearance. Closer analysis shows that these segments are themselves subdivided and that spaces and resources are unequally shared and often disputed among social groups. The chapters in this volume, each in its own way, illustrate the ubiquity of oppositions running across the regions, irrespective of the level of analysis chosen. The resulting image of India is that of a complex and fast evolving system characterized by strong social and historical Patterning as well as extensive spatial recombination. This collection of essays, first published in France in 1997 and based on abundant cartographic materials, brings together a selection of studies by geographers and other social scientists on India, covering a large variety of topics : population dynamics, rural-urban linkages, spatial discrimination, health issues, minorities, etc. These varied research interests open a large number of areas related to spatial organization in India, integrating demographic, economic and anthropological questions and illustrate the relevance of an informed geographical perspective for the study of social transformation in India. The authors would readily agree on the modesty which these essays are bound to evidence, so rich and embedded is the fabric of Indian space. Readers henceforth have more material to form, in their turn, new images reflecting contemporary India and its transitional geography.

Papers presented at a conference, Worcester College, Oxford, Dec. 1982, under the auspices of the British Society for Population Studies.

First published in 1972, this reissue deals with the crucial issue of population explosion, one of the most crucial problems facing the contemporary developing world. Written by a world-renowned demographer and family planning specialist, the book deals specifically with the Indian experience. Reviewing population change in India over the last century, Professor Chandrasekhar focuses on three key issues: the socioeconomic repercussions of reduced infant mortality in twentieth-century India; the rapid population growth from 1871 and its implications on India’s efforts to raise her standard of living; and finally India’s valiant efforts to promote family planning amongst her hundred million married couples.

This anthology provides an historical overview of the scientific ideas behind environmental prediction and how, as predictions about environmental change have been taken more seriously and widely, they have affected politics, policy, and public perception. Through an array of texts and commentaries that examine the themes of progress, population, environment, biodiversity and sustainability from a global perspective, it explores the meaning of the future in the twenty-first century. Providing access and reference points to the origins and development of key disciplines and methods, it will encourage policy makers, professionals, and students to reflect on the roots of their own theories and practices.

The first major study of population size and its tremendous importance to the character and quality of society, this classic examines the tendency of human numbers to outstrip their resources.