{"product_id":"the-indian-civil-sphere-paperback-softback-9781509563821","title":"The Indian Civil Sphere (Paperback \/ softback) 9781509563821","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Indian Civil Sphere\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJeffrey C. Alexander (Edited by), Alexander (Author), Suryakant Waghmore (Edited by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781509563821, Polity Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 16 May 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e280 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 3 cm, 0.431 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndian democracy is in trouble. A still widely popular, democratically elected leader stands athwart it, dangerously authoritarian and disrespectful of civil liberties, the independence of the courts and the press, and disputatious vis-à-vis organized counter-powers. Leading intellectuals, Indian and Western, write about the death of Indian democracy and the passage to despotism. Despite these clear and present dangers, this volume suggests that the death of Indian democracy has been greatly exaggerated. To understand why, we must move beyond democracy narrowly understood as a governmental form to a broader theory of the cultural, associational, and institutional life necessary to sustain it.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding on the insights of civil sphere theory, this volume presents a complex understanding of the progress, reaction, and upheaval that has buffeted independent India. The vitality of India’s civil sphere nourished vast waves of anti-caste movements that energized Indian politics, creating civil repairs that brought it closer to its founding promise to become a less hierarchical society. Yet, the very success of these progressive movements triggered tsunamis of backlash reaction – Hindu revivalism, Muslim exclusion, horrific outbreaks of communal violence.  Narendra Modi and the BJP rode these reactionary waves to power, but, as the 2024 election demonstrated, it is a power still hedged in by the continued vitality of India’s civil sphere. Despite pressures from big business and big government, print and digital media continue to broadcast powerful critical interpretations, speaking truth to power at critical junctures. The Indian legal order, despite enormous problems, continues to protect speech, association, the right to vote and the right to have those votes counted accurately.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA powerful demonstration of both the richness of civil sphere theory and the vitality of Indian democracy, \u003ci\u003eThe Indian Civil Sphere\u003c\/i\u003e will be of interest to students and scholars in sociology, politics and Asian studies and to anyone interested in the politics of the world’s largest democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIntroduction: The Indian Civil Sphere between Vitality and Suppression\u003cbr\u003eJeffrey C. Alexander\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1: Caste, Incivility, and the Prospects of Civil Repair\u003cbr\u003eHugo Gorringe and Karthikeyan Damodaran\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2: The Indian Civil Sphere and the Question of Caste: The Case of the Hathras Movement\u003cbr\u003eRaju Chalwadi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3: Can the Brahmin Be Civil? The Ambiguous Repair of Caste Privilege\u003cbr\u003eRamesh Bairy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4: Civil Sphere versus Civil Religion: Hindutva and its Multiple Opponents in Karnataka\u003cbr\u003eSuryakant Waghmore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5: The Authoritarian Civil Sphere, Populism, and Secular Sectarianism\u003cbr\u003eAjay Gudavarthy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 6: Pious Altruism and Muslim Politics in Post-Babri Mumbai\u003cbr\u003eQudsiya Contractor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 7: Financial Inclusion: Private Interventions in the Civil Sphere\u003cbr\u003eKartikeya Saboo           \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 8: The British Raj and Its Legacy for Democracy and Civil Sphere in India\u003cbr\u003eKrishan Kumar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComments: India and the Civil Horizons of Political Community\u003cbr\u003eTrevor Stack\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComments: Leveraging the Heuristic Potential of the Indian Civil Sphere           \u003cbr\u003eCarlo Tognato\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eConclusion: Two Antagonistic Visions of India’s National Identity\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeter Kivisto\u003cbr\u003eGiuseppe Sciortino\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Sociology%20\u0026amp;%20anthropology%20%5BJH%5D%22\"\u003eJH\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Polity","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52441814761752,"sku":"9781509563821","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781509563821.jpg?v=1785026887","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-indian-civil-sphere-paperback-softback-9781509563821","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}