Annotation: The religious philosophy of Mahatama Budh called Pratityasamutpada delves deep into the causes of our worldly pains and sorrows. Budh treated caste, change and possibility as the basis of his philosophy. However, the views of different philosophers differ.

Originally published in 2003, this volume studies village politics and the changes brought about in rural society through political developments. It focuses on the social, political and cultural circumstances of communist mobilization in rural West Bengal. It analyses the emergence of rural communism in the local context of changes in the position of women, in caste practices, in economic conditions and in new efforts to create ‘development’. It investigates how this cultural change interacts with the mechanisms and tools of village politics, and using anthropological methods and oral history as tools, allows for a detailed and intimate ethnographic description of village politics and its changes.

With special reference to India.

Understanding India's politics and governance requires an examination of how politics and governance occur in the regional States, which constitute the federal units of India.This book addresses the issues of federalism, power-sharing and constitutional reforms, and their effects on governance in Indian States. Located within the growing literature on new State politics in India, this volume presents a critical, in-depth analysis of politics in Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura — these States being units of analysis for more general implications.What common obstacles have impeded development in each State, and what factors have favored recent, rapid development in some States but not others? The issues of caste conflicts, ethnic conflicts and other collective identity issues will be examined in this book — a pioneer volume with detailed, empirically-based research on the implications of State-centric politics in India.

This book analyzes the successes and failures of various federal measures adopted in India, Pakistan and Malaysia for the political accommodation of diversity. Bhattacharyya then assesses their comparative significance for other countries in Asia. In particular, he examines growing tensions between nation and state-building in ethnically plural societies; modes of federation-building in Asia; persistent ethno-nationalist tensions in federations, and the relationship between federalism and democracy; and federalism and decentralization. Since ethno-nationalist conflict remains unresolved in most countries of Asia, this book should of interest to those seeking long-term solutions of problems of order and stability in ethnically diverse countries in Asia.

We experience the culture of globalisation every time we visit a Tandoori restaurant in Chicago, or a Pizza Hut in Hyderabad, or as we watch Bollywood films in Australia. Globalisation is a label used for a wide range of political, social and cultural phenomena, many of which are explored in this volume. The Politics and Culture of Globalisation: India and Australia brings together Indian and Australian experts in the fields of political science, international relations, philosophy, cultural theory and political economy. Its timeliness and unifying theme derive from comparisons between Indian and Australian perspectives, and analyses by Australian writers on developments in India. Indian-Australian relations are explored in several chapters. The neo-liberal form of globalisation is a key focus of critique in this volume. Several chapters examine the search for alternative forms of governance as the nation-state undergoes profound change due to global interconnectedness.