"Relevant both as a document of its time and as an attempt at theorising those times." --Business Standard The concept of liberal democracy today holds sway throughout the world as the ideal form of government. Yet, many third world societies have their own highly evolved and complex forms of governance in keeping with their civilizational and cultural traditions. These alternative forms are rarely studied and often brushed aside since they do not conform to the dominant paradigm of "democracy" as fashioned by Western societies. This important volume takes as its starting point the proposition that the democratization of a polity is an adaptive, evolutionary process that is intrinsically linked to the processes of social transformation within that society. This is particularly true of a complex, multiethnic society like India where attempts to impose the received notions of a nation-state have only resulted in greater strains and stresses. The six essays in the first part of the volume explore the relationship between the state, violence and the politics of development. The second part examines the implications of culture, knowledge, and political traditions for the evolution of a democratic polity both in the west and in newly independent nations. Uniquely comparative and challengingly fresh, this volume of original essays by renowned intellectual activists will greatly enrich current debates concerning the content of liberal democracy and will attract students and professionals in the fields of politics, democratic theory, social movements, and cultural studies.

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