India is fast overtaking China to become the most populous country on Earth. By mid-century, its 1.7 billion people will live in what is projected to become the world’s second-largest economy after China. While a democracy and an open society compared to China, assertive Hindu nationalism is posing new challenges to India’s democratic freedoms and institutions at a time when illiberal democracies and autocratic leaders are on the rise worldwide. How India’s destiny plays out in the coming decades will matter deeply to a world where the West’s influence in shaping the 21st century will decline as that of these two Asian giants and other emerging economies in Africa and Latin America rise. In India in the 21st Century, Mira Kamdar, a former member of the New York Times Editorial Board and an award-winning author, offers readers an introduction to India today in all its complexity.
In a concise question-and-answer format, Kamdar addresses India’s history, including its ancient civilization and kingdoms; its religious plurality; its colonial legacy and independence movement; the political and social structures in place today; its rapidly growing economy and financial system; India’s place in the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century; the challenge to India posed by climate change and dwindling global resources; wealth concentration and stark social inequalities; the rise of big data and robotics; the role of social media and more. She explores India’s contradictions and complications, while celebrating the merging of India’s multicultural landscape and deep artistic and intellectual heritage with the Information Age and the expansion of mass media.
With clarity and balance, Kamdar brings her in-depth knowledge of India and eloquent writing style to bear in this focused and incisive addition to Oxford’s highly successful What Everyone Needs to Know series.
Review
India in the 21st century is at a crossroads–and the path it decides to take will have an impact far beyond its own borders. With a book as ambitious as the country it covers, Mira Kamdar does us all an important service by writing this excellent volume. — Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia group and author of Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism
This concise book is a most useful primer for those interested in the history, politics, economics and society of contemporary India. It is written in a lucid, cogent style and is laden with pertinent information about this complex and often ill-understood country. Those seeking a quick but reliable understanding of where the country stands and is headed will benefit significantly from this work. — Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University, Bloomington
This deeply researched and beautifully written book is a vital gateway into modern India. — Sonia Faleiro, author of Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars
Mira Kamdar, an astute observer of India, has produced an authoritative yet succinct introduction to a continent-sized country. She draws on India’s rich history and its scientific, humane, and religious traditions to provide brisk and clear-eyed assessments of India’s current affairs. As India grows, its global influence is rising too. Newcomers and old India hands alike will find this to be a valuable guide to an immense, fast-changing country. — Adam Roberts, author of India: Superfast Primetime Ultimate Nation
A comprehensive detailed and rich account of India’s history, society, and politics that is both incisively written and rigorously researched. — Sagarika Ghose, distinguished Indian journalist and author of Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister
–This text refers to the paperback edition.
Book details
- ASIN : B07BH2KF72
- Publisher : Oxford University Press; 1st edition (April 4, 2018)
- Publication date : April 4, 2018
