Overview
Almost half a century of political sovereignty in India has brought to light her successes and failures, highlighting the nature of the Indian state and its economic and social reforms. Although economic reforms have been undertaken and religion has been brought to the forefront of Indian politics, the chorus of support and opposition keeps mounting. These debates have generated a rethinking of the basis of Indian nationalism.
This collection of essays reflects the core argument about the proper relationship between the state and the market. The essays offer alternative perspectives on the nature, evolution, ideological bias and structural imperatives of the state; contending judgements on the impact of economic restructuring; an examination of the agrarian structure as a result of land-reform legislation; responses to the nature of changes in India society; the various aspects of Muslim personal law,, its diversity of interpretation and its relationship to the Indian state; and the changed global environment for policy-making.