The 15 chapters in the book address a variety of themes and yet its core concern is India, an Old Society but a New State. Interrogating the West European notion of nation-states, which were designed to be culturally homogenous, this book posits that in India which has a culturally plural polity, the notion of Human Rights is perhaps more relevant than the notion of citizenship. Consequently, not only individual rights but also group rights—religious, linguistic and racial—need to be recognized and fostered.

Indian social science has emphasized the study of structures as against processes, leading to the neglect of social movements and everyday protest. Similarly, analyses of globalization in the Indian context have focused on macro-structures and processes ignoring its impact on micro-structures and processes. The very cognition and conceptualization of the world undergoes transformation as we transition from the colonial, cold war mindset to the ongoing globalization. The book analyses the implications of this for social science research in India. Other themes discussed in the book include (a) the interrelations between the subject matter, the mode of generating and analysing data and conceptualization; (b) the tendency to dismiss Western theoretical and conceptual frameworks as being unable to apprehend Indian social reality; (c) the adaptation of alien concepts and theories to our needs; and (d) fusing local social categories ignoring their specificities in the name of indigeneity. Finally, the much neglected area of social ecology in Indian social science is also analysed. In sum, this book address several concerns of contemporary societies.