Language and Politics in India (Themes in Politics) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195697863 ISBN 13: 9780195697865

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Part of the Themes in Politics series, this volume contextualizes the theme of language and politics within an interdisciplinary framework, and draws attention to the intimate and complex overlap between culture and power at various levels. Rather than presenting the language question as simply one of communication in a multilingual country like India, this book analyses overlapping hierarchies centered around the identities of language, region, culture, caste, and religion.

Thematically organized into three broad sections, the reader examines the relationship between language, history, and nation; deals with the interface between language, region, and state; and situates identity politics within the larger context of language politics. A comprehensive introduction provides an overview of key aspects of language politics in India.

About this title

About the Author

Asha Sarangi is Associate Professor at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Review

"The book [has] a wide ranging canvas, drawing on all the social science disciplines to remind readers of the many faces of the language question...By reviewing some of the recent literature, the editor demonstrates the liveliness of a field which, ten years ago, seemed to have run out of steam...It is a valuable teaching tool [and] a piece of quality scholarship that will stimulate research."--Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, University of Chicago

"Asha Sarangi's volume is a 'must read' text for those engaged in several fields--starting from linguistics and language planning to history, social anthropology, and political science...[The] essays would set many readers into thinking carefully about the important relationship between linguistic-communicative and political processes, the next time a language riot flares up."--Udaya Narayana Singh, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore

"This volume makes a major contribution to our understanding of the relationship between language and politics in contemporary India. [It] provides us with an in-depth and nuanced understanding of the ways in which language shapes national identity, social inequality, and the forms of power that underpin the modern nation-state."--Leela Fernandes, Rutgers University

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0195697863
• ISBN 13: 9780195697865
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 431
• Editor: Sarangi Asha