This lively collection of essays by Ashutosh Varshney analyses the
deepening of Indian democracy since 1947 and the challenges this
has created. It examines concerns ranging from federalism and Hindu
nationalism to caste conflict and civil society, the north-south economic
divide, and politics of economic reforms. Accompanied by a substantial
overview tracing the forging and consolidation of India’s improbable
democracy, the book, full of original insights, portrays the successes and
failures of our experience in a new comparative perspective, enriching our
understanding of the idea of democracy.

About the Author

Born in India, Ashutosh Varshney is Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences, Brown University, where he also directs the India Initiative. Previously, he taught at Harvard and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His books include Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India, Democracy, Development, and the Countryside: Urban-Rural Struggles in India and India in the Era of Economic Reforms. His honours include the Guggenheim and Carnegie awards and the Gregory Luebbert Prize. He is a contributing editor for the Indian Express, and his guest columns have appeared in many newspapers, including the Financial Times.