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Towards a Knowledge Society

Towards a Knowledge Society

Towards a Knowledge Society

New Identities in Emerging India
Author:
Debal K. SinghaRoy, School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University
Published:
October 2014
Availability:
Available
Format:
Hardback
ISBN:
9781107065451

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£85.00
GBP
Hardback
$110.00 USD
eBook

    This book depicts the emergence of knowledge society across rural and urban spaces and among cross sections of social collectivities in India. It analyses the new economic momentum and socio-cultural milieu as set in motion with the emergence of this society. The ensuing impact on the pre-existing facets of social identity and marginality, and the processes of construction of new social identities therein are studied. This book delineates both the hope and despair, as produced with the arrival of the knowledge society, and identifies the scope and conditions of alternative choice and liberation for the people within the emerging socio-economic order of this society. Rich in empirical data, this monograph will interest students, researchers, teachers, policy planners and social activists.

    • First ever comprehensive study on the emergence of knowledge society in India across villages, towns and the metro cities
    • Elucidates fast transformation in Indian society based on the combination of macro, micro and ethnographic data
    • Analyses the formation and emergence of multiple social, economic, political and cultural processes, identities and interests that are set in motion with the arrival of knowledge society within the traditional framework of Indian society

    Reviews & endorsements

    'Professor Debal K. SinghaRoy writes in a way that is both lucid and analytically profound … This work will leave a lasting impact on the sociology of knowledge and in the study of the history of ideas.' Dipankar Gupta, former Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

    'This is a detailed, subtle and fascinating account of the transformation of India toward a fully realised 'Knowledge Society' … To quote the Planning Commission (2001), 'we missed the industrial revolution but we should not miss the information and knowledge revolution' … The Knowledge Society may offer greater possibilities for freedom, dignity and social security. Amen to that.' Ellie Chambers, Professor Emeritus, Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University

    'This rich and ambitious study makes clear that India will be a major player in the brave new world of digital networks and 'smart' work … Towards a Knowledge Society is an important addition to knowledge and understanding for commentators who have yet to appreciate the need to 'reorient' away from the West.' Frank Webster, City University London

    'Debal SinghaRoy shows the dark side of India's transformation to a knowledge society … India's transformation becomes a story of despair for the millions who are excluded and marginalized, but also hope for liberation from oppression and for the formation of new identities.' Stephen Castles, Research Chair in Sociology, University of Sydney

    See more reviews

    Product details

    October 2014
    Hardback
    9781107065451
    397 pages
    236 × 160 × 34 mm
    0.77kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • List of tables and figures
    • Preface
    • 1. Introduction: conceptualising knowledge society: critical dimensions and ideal image
    • 2. Critiquing and contextualising knowledge society
    • 3. Strategising for knowledge society in India: the shifting backdrops and emerging contexts
    • 4. Education for a knowledge society in India
    • 5. Information and communication technologies for a knowledge society
    • 6. Indian growth story: the service and knowledge dynamics
    • 7. Education, ICTs and work: the divergent empirical reality in India
    • 8. The knowledge society: work, workers and relations
    • 9. Knowledge society: culture, continuity and contradictions
    • 10. Conclusion: marginality, identity, fluidity and beyond
    • Bibliography.
      Author
    • Debal K. SinghaRoy , School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University

      Debal K. SinghaRoy is Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He has researched extensively in the areas of social movements, agrarian studies, social development, marginalisation, social exclusion, women's studies, sociology of distance education and knowledge society.