RURAL SOCIETY IN INDIA (Second Edition)

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: K.L. Sharma

• Language: English

• Binding: Hardcover

• Edition: Second Edition

• Release Date: 01-12-2019

• ISBN: 9788131610671

• Pages: 312

About the Book
Indian rural society has been deeply connected to the broader Indian social fabric, encompassing economic, political, and social dimensions. Over time, the study of rural India has evolved—from holistic village monographs in the 1950s to the critical structural issues examined in later decades. This book critically revisits the village and town divide, as well as the caste and class distinctions, introducing the concepts of 'country-town nexus' and 'caste-class nexus' to explore the complexities of rural India.

This interdisciplinary work examines caste, class, agricultural production, peasant movements, land reforms, and various social changes, such as modernization and rural stratification. It highlights fundamental issues such as landlessness, poverty, health, education, and migration, positioning them as more pressing than traditional concerns like untouchability and religious rituals.

The second edition includes a new introduction, offering updated insights into social trends and patterns of stratification in rural India, making it an essential read for students, researchers, and teachers interested in the structure and transformation of rural society in India.

Contents

• Introduction: Revisiting Indian Rural Society

• Village Studies: Theoretical and Methodological Orientations

• Country-Town Nexus in India: A Macro-View

• Agrarian Stratification: Old Issues and New Explanations, and New Issues and Old Explanations

• Feudalism and Peasant Movements in Rajasthan

• Land-Tenure Systems, Social Structure and Change: Some Reflections on Land Reforms in Rajasthan

• Stresses in Caste Stratification

• Caste and Class Consciousness: Some Social and Psychological Expressions

• Power Elite in Rural India: Some Questions and Clarifications

• Modernization and Rural Stratification

• Dynamics of Social Transformation in Rural Rajasthan

• Conceptualization of Caste-Class Nexus as an Alternative to Caste-Class Dichotomy

About the Author
K.L. Sharma is a distinguished academic who served as a professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, from 1972 to 2003, where he held several key positions, including Rector. He was also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rajasthan (2003-2005) and Jaipur National University (2007-2014). Prof. Sharma has been a Visiting Professor at the College de France, Paris, and has supervised over 100 M.Phil and Ph.D students. An author of 26 books and 90 research papers, he regularly contributes to the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar on current affairs. He is currently serving as the Pro-Chancellor of Jaipur National University.