|
In the first part the essays
engage in the theoretical concerns relating to the concepts of
"identity," "nation," and
"community." These theoretical underpinnings are
concretised in the second part in the form of the essays taking
up the specific case studies of the "new" movements
engaging the different identities and communities, mostly newly
constructed or imagined.
The book has
broadly speaking two strands. The first takes up the theoretical
concerns whereas the second takes up the specific studies. In
the first part concerning the notion of community Carol Upadhya
questions the romanticised validation given to communities by
holding that community belongs to the realm of culture and not
economy and argues that political and economic practices or
formations should also be brought under the discourse of
community.
Saseej Hegde while
referring to the notions of nation, nationalism and modernity
raises the methodological problem of determining historical
inheritances. He submits that "if our stories about
ourselves—about who and where ‘we’ are… must bear the
brunt of our colonial and postcolonial histories, then equally
our stories about ‘them’ [Europeans] must bear the mark of
their own histories."
Providing an
overview of the recent writings and trends relating to the
concept of community, Ravinder Kaur argues for an understanding
of the complex nature of community and its fluid character. In
the process she questions the hegemonic claims of nation-state
or religious groups as being the all-important community.
In the next three
parts specific case studies follow. In part three, Javeed Alam
while welcoming the shift in Indian politics based on the
empowerment of the peripheral castes urges for a relentless
democratic struggle against the "inegalitarianism and hide
bound outlooks inherent in the emergent communities." D
Parthasarathy, A R Vasavi and Sujata Patel take up the
exploration of the categories of community and identity,
respectively, in the concrete study of the formation of Kapunadu
movement in Andhra Pradesh, reconstitution of the Nadar
community in Tamil Nadu and the formation of identity-based
collective interests in the form of the Balipal Movement in
Orissa.
Part four takes up
the impact of globalisation in the spatial rearticulation of the
very notion of communities. Aparna Rayaprol takes up the
shifting nature of identity construction among the Indian
Diaspora in the USA. Satish Deshpande draws our attention
towards the "concrete spatial rearticulations" as in
the case of the Sikh and Tamil communities. Part four consists
of articles taking up the formation and articulation of
minorities and women.
All the articles
revolve around the "context specific articulations of
community identities" while making significant attempts to
move beyond the dominant theoretical and political
conceptualisations. In the process the critical need to evolve a
new discourse with a new language on community and identities is
underlined.
|
