The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and IdentityIndia is a country with many distinct traditions, widely divergent customs, vastly different convictions, and a veritable feast of viewpoints. In The Argumentative Indian, Amartya Sen draws on a lifetime study of his country's history and culture to suggest the ways we must understand India today in the light of its rich, long argumentative tradition. The millenia-old texts and interpretations of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, agnostic, and atheistic Indian thought demonstrate, Sen reminds us, ancient and well-respected rules for conducting debates and disputations, and for appreciating not only the richness of India's diversity but its need for toleration. Though Westerners have often perceived India as a place of endless spirituality and unreasoning mysticism, he underlines its long tradition of skepticism and reasoning, not to mention its secular contributions to mathematics, astronomy, linguistics, medicine, and political economy. |
Contents
Inequality Instability and Voice | 34 |
Large and Small | 45 |
The Diaspora and the World | 73 |
Tagore and His India | 89 |
Our Culture Their Culture | 121 |
Indian Traditions and the Western Imagination | 139 |
China and India | 161 |
Tryst with Destiny | 193 |
India and the Bomb | 251 |
The Reach of Reason | 273 |
Secularism and Its Discontents | 294 |
India through Its Calendars | 317 |
The Indian Identity | 334 |
Notes | 357 |
| 393 | |
| 401 | |
Other editions - View all
The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity Amartya Sen Limited preview - 2005 |
The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity Amartya Sen Limited preview - 2013 |
The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity Amartya Sen Limited preview - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
accepted achievements agency Akbar ancient approaches argued arguments attention Bangladesh basic beliefs British Buddhist calendar called century China Chinese civilization claim concerns connections contemporary contrast course critical culture Delhi democracy Development discussed distinct earlier early economic effects Essay evidence example extent fact freedom Gandhi gender give given global Hindu Hindutva human ideas identity important independence India inequality influence intellectual interest involved issue later less literature lives London major mathematics millennium movement Muslim nature nuclear origin Oxford University Press Pakistan particularly past perhaps political position practice present problem question Rabindranath reason recent relevance religion religious remarkable respect role Sanskrit secularism seen social society Tagore tended tion tolerance tradition translation understanding values West Western women writings York