THEORY AND IDEOLOGY IN INDIAN SOCIOLOGY: Essays in Honour of Professor Yogendra Singh

Despite immense potential for ideological and theoretical discourse regarding India’s intellectual tradition, worldview, cultural pluralism and historical continuity, there is dearth of serious sociological work in this area. The erudite contribution of some Indian sociologists has provided a neat conceptual categorization, theoretical and philosophical discussion and a critique of Indian sociology. Yet, the vast and immense potential for cognitive reconstruction as a self-conscious reaction to overwhelmingly privileged colonial-imperial dominant knowledge, necessitates understanding and interpretation through not only contemporary empirical studies but also classical texts, regional literature and oral traditions. A composite worldview of a society with fathomless historical past, cultural diversities and cognitive pluralism necessitates alternatives in institutional academics and intellectual rediscovery which is possible in a milieu where mind is freed from given paradigm. The sharp polarity between ideology, theory and life could be as misleading as to view them as synonymous. The structural, cultural and historical specificities influence the formation of a society and shape the process of its change. Ideology and theory influence both life and knowledge. They provide cues for ethno- sociological formulation and influence the theoretical and methodological orientations. Ideology and theory work as critique as well as help in construction of alternatives in cognitive orientations and vision for social transformation. The present volume consists of articles which have raised and discussed issues related to ideology and theory in Indian sociology with varying perspectives, differentiated focuses and highlight the strength, canvas and limitations, explicitly or implicitly, and bring out relevant cognitive gaps in the discipline.