In this pioneering study of India as a vibrant and politically sustainable polity, Rajni Kothari covers considerable basic ground. Politics in India was first published in 1970 and marks a turning point in the evolution of the author’s intellectual contributions.
From the theoretical, historical, socio-cultural, and comparative matrices of Indian polity, this book ranges through strategies, concerns, and issues that strengthen and support India’s tried and tested political institutions and the agencies that promote the country’s national integration. Kothari’s superiority as a theorist and teacher is evident in this book. Its detailed analyses and commentary cover existing and emergent paradigms of Indian political life and action. It also deals with the politics of party system and coalitions, social infrastructure and balanced growth options, including India’s challenges and the greater role it envisages in subcontinental and international politics. The concluding chapter on “Future Perspectives” is Kothari’s helpful pointer towards this prospect.
In this second edition, the introduction by Prakash Sarangi highlights the significance of book as an important landmark and its relevance in contemporary times.
Acknowledgements
Politics in India: An Introduction
Chapter 1 Theoretical Considerations Context of political development. A comparative perspective. Significance of the Indian “model”. Role of politics. The challenge of simultaneous change. Problem of performance.
Chapter 2 Historical Antecedents The Hindu social order. The Muslim impact. The British impact. Political response. Charisma and reconstruction. The communal problem and national integration.
Chapter 3 Approach to Modernization Significance of the antecedents. Approach to modernization. Issues of center and periphery. Factors of change.
Chapter 4 Institutional Strategy Decision-making on the Constitution. Issues of consolidation and change. Center and periphery. Patterns of state politics. viii Politics in India: An Introduction Process of decentralization. Bureaucracy and political development. Institutionalization and legitimacy.
Chapter 5 Party System and Coalition-Making Competitive dominance. Salient characteristics. Evolution of the system. Identity and dissent. Social composition of parties. Interest articulation. Role of protest.
Chapter 6 Social Infrastructure Prevailing perceptions. Political dimensions of caste. Stages of articulation. New forms of aggregation. Other ethnic groups. Conclusion: process of reintegration.
Chapter 7 Political Culture and Socialization Perspective of History. Themes of political culture. Political socialization. Modernization of tradition. Conclusion: a comparative overview.
Chapter 8 Political Institutionalization and National Integration Approach to performance analysis. Dimensions of institutionalization. The demands of diversity. Conclusion: democracy and national integration.
Chapter 9 Political Economy of Development The broad strategy of transformation. The goal of selfsustained growth. Disequilibrium and development. Issues of distribution and equity. Conclusion: crises and development.
Chapter 10 Coping with the International Environment Growth of a policy. Challenges to national integrity. Changing context of international environment. Achieving economic independence. A period of transition.
Chapter 11 Future Perspectives The Indian “model”. Emerging issue areas. Policy perspectives. The next phase.