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Sociology of Contemporary Society: Unity in Diversity

India has been engaged in 'paradigm shift' since 1990s to engage with globalisation. It caused rolling back of the state and moving forward of market forces; increasing significance of globalisation and liberalisation; preference to economics over politics. At the same time, there is a rainbow of political mobilisations over the Indian horizon with interesting similarities with the European Union.

It is proposed to invite attention and interest of students through this short course about the key features of sociology of contemporary society. It will ask the students to interrogate about 4 inter-related questions:
1. what is the basis of social order and how it is explained by sociology?
2. How the ideals of liberty, equality and freedom have been approached through democratization and civil society in the era of globalisation?
and 3. What is the significance of the principle of unity in diversity in the context of market, migration and modernity?
and finally, 4. What are the imperatives of the 17 point Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in 21st century world system?

Course Outline:

1.    The basis for social order, ethnocentrism and importance of sociology

2.    Progress, transitions and modern world system

3.    Democracy and the idea of civil society

4.    Market, migration and multi-culturalism – India and European Union

5.    India and its contradictions

6.    The 21^st century imperative: 17 Sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Discussions

Evaluation method - Each student will be expected to write a short essay about any relevant theme and the topic will be decided in consultation with the student. 

Suggested Select Readings:

Charon. Joel M. (2001) Ten Questions – A Sociological Perspective (Belmont, Wadsworth) Ch. 1, 3, 7
Dreze, J. and Amartya Sen ( 2013) An Uncertain Glory – India and Its Contradictions (New Delhi, Allen Lane) pp 1-17, 45 - 80
Elliott, Carolyn M. ( 2003) Civil Society and Democracy (New Delhi, Oxford Univ. Press) pp 43 – 62, 63 – 82, 377 - 404
Kumar, Anand (2011) Understanding Globalisation and Emerging India (New Delhi, Palmleaf)
Wallerstein, I. (1983) Historical Capitalism (London, Verso) Ch. Pp. 97 – 110
UNDP (2015) – Human Development Report 2015 (New Delhi, Oxford Univ. Press)

Readings will be made available by the department. Participants will be informed on this issue at the first meeting of the group on 16th March 2016. See time schedule.

positive completion of the compulsory module according to § 5 Para 1 No 7.

Lecturer: Professor Anand Kumar has been teaching sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi since 1990. He received an MA in Sociology at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, an MPhil. in Sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, and a PhD in Sociology at the University of Chicago.
He has been President of the Student's Unions at BHU (Varanasi) and JNU (New Delhi), and he was President and General Secretary of Teacher's Associations at JNU and BHU respectively. Currently he serves as President of the Indian Sociological Society (ISS). He has published mainly in the field of political sociology; he also jointly published with Frank Welz, Innsbruck University.