Wow! eBook
Whatever Happened to Class?: Reflections from South Asia
Author(s): Ronald Herring
- Publisher: Lexington Books
- Publication Date: October 23, 2008
- Language: English
- Print length: 228 pages
- ISBN-10: 8189654608
- ISBN-13: 9780739132562
Book Description
Explanations for what happened to class vary, from intellectual fads to global transformations of interests. The authors ask what is lost in the move away from class, and what South Asian experiences tell us about the limits of class analysis. Empirical chapters examine formal and informal-sector labor, social movements against genetic engineering, and politics of the “new middle class.” A unifying analytical concern is specifying conditions under which interests of those disadvantaged by class systems are immobilized, diffused, co-opted? or autonomously recognized and acted upon politically: the problematic transition of classes in themselves to classes for themselves.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This terrific, sharply focused book illuminates how very much we have lost by dismissing class analysis-and why. From workers to middle classes to migrants, and from social science to natural science, these distinguished scholars show us what was right before our eyes if only we would see it.” ―Marc Blecher, Oberlin College
“This important book revives the concept of class to illuminate the dramatic changes occurring in contemporary South Asian societies. Its intriguing insights make it essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the social dynamics of the region and the continuing relevance of class.” ―John Echeverri-Gent, University of Virginia
“This is an outstanding volume, a must read for both friends and foes of class analysis. The contributions are sophisticated, sober, and timely.” ―Atul Kohli, Princeton University
“South Asian capitalism fragments the political organization of labour while the working class multiplies; it consolidates the organization of capital while pathways to accumulation diversify. The willful ignoring or destruction of class analysis obscures our understanding of the complex class and non-class dynamics of capitalism. Agarwala, Herring, and their colleagues are to be congratulated for bringing class back in.” ―Barbara Harriss-White, Oxford University
“This book shows, contrary to recent social science claims, that smart class analysis is not only possible but still carries a powerful explanatory punch. Refusing to shy away from the difficulties of class theory, and carefully considering the naysayers, the contributors continually push readers onto promising new turf. That these lessons from South Asia also apply to other non-core countries is what makes the book valuable to a wide body of students and researchers.” ―David Ost, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
About the Author
Christopher Candland is associate professor of Political Science and the founding director of the
South Asia Studies Program at Wellesley College. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science
and Southern Asian Studies from Columbia University. He has studied in South Asia
for close to four decades and teaches about politics and international relations in South
Asia, human and community development, women’s political empowerment, and logic
and rhetoric.
