New Published

The Ground Between: Anthropologists Engage Philosophy by Veena Das, Michael Jackson, Arthur Kleinman And Bhrigupati Singh from Orient Blackswan.

The guiding inspiration of this book is the attraction and distance that mark the relation between anthropology and philosophy. This theme is explored through encounters between individual anthropologists and particular regions of philosophy. Several of the most basic concepts of the discipline—including notions of ethics, politics, temporality, self and other, and the nature of human life—are products of a dialogue, both implicit and explicit, between anthropology and philosophy. These philosophical undercurrents in anthropology also speak to the question of what it is to experience our being in a world marked by radical difference and otherness.

In The Ground Between, twelve leading anthropologists offer intimate reflections on the influence of particular philosophers on their way of seeing the world, and on what ethnography has taught them about philosophy. Ethnographies of the mundane and the everyday raise fundamental issues that the contributors grapple with in both their lives and their thinking. With directness and honesty, they relate particular philosophers to matters such as how to respond to the suffering of the other, how concepts arise in the give and take of everyday life, and how to be attuned to the world through the senses.

Their essays challenge the idea that philosophy is solely the province of professional philosophers, and suggest that certain modalities of being in the world might be construed as ways of doing philosophy. This book will be of interest to social scientists, philosophers and literary scholars.

In our Philosophy section, Rs. 995, in hardback, 360 pages, ISBN: 9788125055006


The Problem of Caste by Satish Deshpande from Orient Blackswan.

Caste is one of the oldest concerns of the social sciences in India that continues to be relevant even today. This book tracks how scholars from different disciplines have responded to the caste question in independent India and highlights recent shifts in perspective. The general perception about caste is that it is an outdated concept that was slowly but inevitably dying out until it was revived by colonial policies and promoted by vested interests and electoral politics after independence.

However, this hegemonic perception changed irrevocably in the 1990s after the controversial reservations for the Other Backward Classes recommended by the Mandal Commission. Mandal triggered a new awakening by revealing that only a privileged upper caste minority believed in the declining significance of caste—for the vast majority of Indians caste continued to be a crucial determinant of life opportunities.

This volume collects significant writings spanning seven decades, three generations and several disciplines. The introduction contextualises established perspectives in relation to emergent concerns, and is followed by forty essays organised into six sections. The first section offers a sample of disciplinary responses ranging from sociology to law. The second explores the relationship between caste and class, while the third highlights the interplay between caste and politics.

The fourth section covers old and new challenges in law and policy. Emergent research areas are represented in section five and section six showcases post-Mandal innovations in caste studies. This transdisciplinary volume brings together sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, historians, economists and others. It will be essential reading for students and scholars across these disciplines

In our Sociology section, Rs. 750, in paperback, 783 pages, ISBN: 9788125055013


Revisiting 1956: B. R. Ambedkar and States Reorganisation by Sudha Pai And Avinash Kumar from Orient Blackswan.

In 1938, when he opposed the formation of Karnatak Province along linguistic lines, Ambedkar pointed out, ‘… we have been living together … only to emphasise the fact that those who want that this unity be sundered … must consider this matter in a much more serious way and not on grounds which are purely sentimental.’

When the Indian identity was in its embryo, he feared that fostering cultural identities would result in separate nationalities. By 1953, after the formation of Andhra State, he pointed at the lack of proper thinking that had gone into the merger. In 1956, when the States Reorganisation Commission submitted its report, he identified its flaws, and famously laid down his ‘One state, one language’ principle.

The speeches, tracts and articles that Ambedkar produced on these lines were soon forgotten. And now, as new states are being formed, Ambedkar’s works find renewed relevance. When he called the merger of Telangana and Telugu-speaking areas of Madras Presidency as ‘artificial’, Ambedkar showed remarkable vision that administrators can learn from. In laying criteria for reorganisation of states—viability, size, economic feasibility, equality, federal balance, and the divisive issue of language—he has already addressed concerns that the contemporary common man now asks.

Along with addressing students and scholars of political science, demography, public administration and Indian History, Revisiting 1956 resurrects the leader’s works from oblivion and presents relevant portions from them for the general, interested reader.

In our Politics section, Rs. 625, in hardback, 256 pages, ISBN: 9788125055143

Death and Dying

Death and Dying by Sudhir Kakar from Penguin Books India.

Billions have died in the thousands of years since human beings first developed language, but we do not have a single credible account of the subjective experience of dying and the afterlife. This is why death continues to be an immense mystery and a subject of eternal fascination.
In Death and Dying, scholars and intellectuals illumine the major issues raised by the inevitable ending to life.

The range is wide: from the dread that accompanies all notions of mortality to the objective evidence for the existence of an afterlife; from an exploration of the spiritual dimensions of mourning to analyses of how death was perceived and interpreted by geniuses like John Keats, Rabindranath Tagore and Carl Jung.

Utterly compelling, these essays prompt us to question our fears and notions of death while enabling us to perceive this phenomenon with greater understanding and intelligence.

In our Psychology section, Rs. 499, in hardback, 272 pages, ISBN: 9780670084647

Marxist Economic Theory, (Vol- I to II)

Marxist Economic Theory, (Vol- I to II) by Ernest Mandel from Aakar Books.

Introduction - Labour, Necessary product, Surplus Product - Exchange, Commodity, Value – Money, Capital, Surplus-value – The Development of Capital - The Contradictions of Capitalism - Trade – Credit – Money – Agriculture- Reproduction and the Growth of National Income - Periodical Crises - Monopoly Capitalism - Imperialism – The Epoch of Capitalist Decline – The Soviet Economy – The Economy of the Transition Period – Socialist Economy – Origin, Rise and Withering Away of Political Economy- Bibliography – Index

In our Economics section, Rs. 750, in paperback, 783 pages, ISBN: 9788189833466

Remembered Thoughts

Remembered Thoughts: A Journey over Forty-Five Years of Academics by Dr. Gopal K Kadekodi from Serials Publications.

A collection of 33 articles and short pieces previously published in newspapers, magazines and periodicals along with several unpublished keynote and inaugural addresses delivered by the author are put together in a thematic form in this book.
The chosen themes are:

All about ecology and environment
On resource management
Can the budgets deliver?
Acting for development

Delivering good governance The author provides several critical comments and views on the economic, social, ecological and environmental matters, situations and policy prescriptions set out from time to time. Comments on the budgets reflecting on their focus, missings and drives are highlighted. Remembering lead activities like Anna Hazare, or P R Mishra adds lots of good memories about their missions for the young and next generation of readers.

Some of the major economic and social issues addressed by the author are: need for raising savings rates in the country; need for natural resource valuation and accounting; scope for enhancing governance regulations and procedures; natural resource conservation strategies; energy management; and social planning.

Though the articles are drawn from the author’s writings over the last 45 years, they stand out as pieces of thoughts valid even today. Hence the title of the book: Remembered Thoughts The book is forwarded by Shri Jairam Ramesh, former Minister for Environment and Forests, and also Rural Development.

In our Ecology and Environment section, Rs. 280, in hardback, 320 pages, ISBN: 0978183876803

Dilip Kumar

Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow An Autobiography by Dilip Kumar from Hay House India.

A Long-awaited Autobiography. An authentic, heartfelt and compelling narrative - straight from the horses mouth - that reveals for the first time numerous unknown aspects of the life and times of one of the greatest legends of all time who stands out as a symbol of secular India. Dilip Kumar (born as Yousuf Khan), who began as a diffident novice in Hindi cinema in the early 1940s, went on to attain the pinnacle of stardom within a short time. He came up with spellbinding performances in one hit film after another - in his almost six-decade-long career - on the basis of his innovative capability, determination, hard work and never-say-die attitude.

In this unique volume, Dilip Kumar traces his journey right from his birth to the present. In the process, he candidly recounts his interactions and relationships with a wide variety of people not only from his family and the film fraternity but also from other walks of life, including politicians. While seeking to set the record straight, as he feels that a lot of what has been written about him so far is full of distortions and misinformation, he narrates, in graphic detail, how he got married to Saira Banu, which reads like a fairy tale! Dilip Kumar relates, matter-of-fact, the event that changed his life-his meeting with Devika Rani, the boss of Bombay Talkies, when she offered him an acting job. His first film was Jwar Bhata (1944).

He details how he had to learn everything from scratch and how he had to develop his own distinct histrionics and style, which would set him apart from his contemporaries. After that, he soon soared to great heights with movies such as Jugnu, Shaheed, Mela andaz, Deedar, Daag and Devdas. In these movies he played the tragedian with such intensity that his psyche was adversely affected. He consulted a British psychiatrist, who advised him to switch over to comedy. The result was spectacular performances in laugh riots such as Azaad and Kohinoor, apart from a scintillating portrayal as a gritty tonga driver in Naya Daur. After a five-year break he started his second innings with Kranti (1981), after which he appeared in a series of hits such as Vidhaata, Shakti, Mashaal, Karma, Saudagar and Qila.

In our Biography section, Rs. 699, in hardback, 450 pages, ISBN: 9789381398869

Political Philosophy of Ambedkar

Political Philosophy of Ambedkar: An Inquiry into the Theoretical Foundations of the Dalit Movement by P. Kesava Kumar from Kalpaz Publications.

Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a prominent political thinker of our times. He negotiated with the grand political theories such as liberalism, conservatism, Marxism and communitarianism in his own authentic and indigenous way. His philosophy is ethical, rational, pragmatic and democratic in its spirit.

His political thought internalizes the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity. He philosophizes the Indian social reality from a victim’s perspective but provides insights to transform a victim into a human with courage of conviction and inalienable dignity.

This book presents an in-depth study of the political philosophy of Ambedkar. Theorising the Dalit movement, it critically analyses the problems and philosophical underpinnings of contemporary Dalit movement.

In our Philosophy section, Rs. 540, in hardback, 182 pages, ISBN: 9788178359847

Agitating the Frame/ The Song of the Shirt

Agitating the Frame: Five Essays on Economy, Ideology, Sexuality and Cinema by Slavoj Zizek from Navayana.

The world today, not in the least Europe, is facing an unprecedented crisis. There is more food to eat, more ideology, sexual permissiveness, exhaustive laws, regularization of banking and other financial institutions, and, Slavoj Žižek argues, more privacy. Yet, the level of disbelief and frustration with regard to hunger, sexuality, law and order, the economic situation, politics, and the notion of public space is palpable. Is this not just because we continue to be seduced by a patchwork of easy but wrong answers but because the allure of those answers leads us to asking the wrong questions?

Žižek illumines a dense path through the works of Daphne du Maurier, Jean Pierre Melville’s The Army of Shadows, the films of Lubitsch, the place of violence in the Buddhist system of moral conduct, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, the assertion that Gandhi was more violent than Hitler, pedophilia in the Church, the maternal aspect of North Korean leaders, the crisis in Cyprus and Greece, the larger economic meltdown and its denial by the very people who are responsible for it.

In the process, we are invited to question some of these answers, and to return to the questions. Žižek then goads us to develop tools that might help not only in reframing the questions but make us look at the very frame with skepticism.

In our Essays and Nonfiction section, Rs. 295, in paperback, 204 pages, ISBN: 9788189059651


The Song of the Shirt: Cheap Clothes Across Continents and Centuries by Jeremy Seabrook from Navayana.

Labour in Bangladesh flows like its rivers—in excess of what is required. Often, both take a huge toll. Labour that costs $1.66 an hour in China and 52 cents in India can be had for a song in Bangladesh—18 cents. It is mostly women and children working in fragile, flammable buildings who bring in 70 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange.

Bangladesh today does not clothe the nakedness of the world, but provides it with limitless cheap garments—through Primark, Walmart, Benetton, Gap. In elegiac prose, Jeremy Seabrook dwells upon the disproportionate sacrifices demanded by the manufacture of such throwaway items as baseball caps. He shows us how Bengal and Lancashire offer mirror images of impoverishment and affluence.

In the eighteenth century, the people of Bengal were dispossessed of ancient skills and the workers of Lancashire forced into labour settlements. In a ghostly replay of traffic in the other direction, the decline of the British textile industry coincided with Bangladesh becoming one of the world’s major clothing exporters. With capital becoming more protean than ever, it wouldn’t be long before the global imperium readies to shift its sites of exploitation in its nomadic cultivation of profit.

In our Art and Architecture section, Rs. 495, in hardback, 287 pages, ISBN: 9788189059644