Books published by OUP India

This book presents a comparative analysis of multicultural advertising through an empirical study of advertisements in two geographically diverse commercial regions-Europe and India. Showing that there has been a significant increase in multicultural images, symbols, and texts in advertisements across consumer goods-for the 'elite' as well as the 'less elite'-this book argues that there is a growing congruence of values among different cultures. It suggests that inspite of our differences, we are moving, at least in the corporate world, toward a larger unity.

This book explains how the Taliban, who view themselves as guardians of God, think it is their holy mission to protect Islam from the armies of the 'wrong' faiths. Paradoxically, their violent defence of the sacred encompasses worldly concerns such as social justice, peace, and political order. Guiding us to a finer understanding of the Taliban worldview, Sheikh builds a case for dialogue with an enemy that may choose to lay down arms if its grievances are correctlyunderstood.

The idea of citizenship goes beyond a legal-formal framework to denote substantive membership in the political community. While citizenship is identified with an ideal condition of equality of status and belonging, it gets challenged in societies marked by inequalities. As an idea that inspires struggle, citizenship remains an institution that is unbounded, changing, and always incomplete. This short introduction lucidly describes the history of citizenship in India,before moving on to the pluralities and the contemporary landscapes of citizenship. It traces the amendments in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and argues that the legal enframing of the citizen involves a simultaneous production of its other-the non-citizen. This book looks at the multiple margins thatconstitute the sites of constant churnings, releasing powerful new idioms, imaginaries, and practices of citizenship.

This book provides an insight into the functioning of formal, legal, and political institutions in the Indian democracy. It discusses the role and the importance of the rule of law, constitutional morality, and the opposition in its functioning.

This book addresses pertinent issues around the role and status of caste in the new private occupational IT sector that boasts of merit as the ultimate equalizer. The author finds that in spite of the narrative of equality and justice, caste and gender status continues to influence access to IT education and in the new IT occupations in India.

The present book is a story of three roads of Calcutta which at various historical stages had produced diverse political and socio-economic currents, and led to the growth of institutions that had shaped the minds of Calcutta's citizens.

In the social sciences, civilization is one of the most oft-debated concepts. However, debates around civilization are still framed by Western assumptions and concerns- as with the very idea of civilization itself. Nevertheless, civilization remains a central theme in the Muslim world. Encounter with the concept and fact of civilization is comprised of a series of investigations that include multi-dimensional analyses. The overall objective of this volume is toexpose complex issues for further discussion pertaining to civilization.

Vinay Bharat-Ram, in this delightful and breezy read, offers revealing glimpses into the lives and social circumstances of some of the most influential economic thinkers who have determined the way we understand economics today. Brimming with fascinating nuggets from their lives, this book journeys from Adam Smiths free-market capitalism to Amartya Sens welfare economics and beyond, demystifying several momentous economic developments along the way.

This book highlights the status and severity of the most heinous crime, that is, human trafficking, and the role of various international instruments or law enforcement bodies in combating this crime.

This book examines the scope and limitations of the discretionary powers of a president through various examples from India, Britain, and the Commonwealth. It draws on biographical material of Indian presidents and British sovereigns to explain how they tackled diverse political situations, the lessons from which can be unmistakable signposts for the future.

This book analyses the theoretical and philosophical frames of new (biotic) property, and assesses how its altered metaphysics inscribes itself in the politics of genetic resources. It probes how rights get framed within and by law and attempts to uncover the cunning or duplicitous nature of these rightsthe chasm between their intended benefits and their actual outcomes.

What does innovation mean to and in India? What are the predominant sites of activity where Indians innovate, and under what situations do they work or fail? This book addresses these all-important questions arising within diverse Indian contexts: informal economy, low-cost settings, large business groups, entertainment and copyright industries, an evolving pharma sector, a poorly organized and appallingly underfunded public health system, social enterprises for theurban poor, and innovations-for-the-millions. Its balanced perspective on India''s promises and failings makes it a valuable addition for those who believe that India''s future banks heavily on its ability to leapfrog using innovation, as well as those sceptical of the Indian state''s belief in thepotential of private enterprise and innovation. It also provides critical insights on innovation in general, the most important of which being the highly context-specific, context-driven character of the innovation project.

Povertyand poverty eradication was the predominant paradigm within which Indias twentieth century science policy was constructed. Yet, when we think of science in India today, this earlier priority of poverty eradication is now hard to find. What accounts for this? This volume asks: Has the problem of poverty in India been solved? Or, has it become inconvenient alongside the rise of new narratives that frame India as a site of remarkable economic growth?

Anyone who has seen a wedding procession in northern India would have heard and seen the band of professional musicians accompanying the procession. This book is a detailed and colourful study of India's wedding bands.

Although the filmmaker Satyajit Ray is well-known across the world, few outside Bengal know much about the diverse contributions of his forebears to printing technology, nationalism, childrens literature, feminism, advertising, entreprenurial culture and religious reform. Even within Bengal, the earlier Rays are often regarded exclusively as childrens writers. The first study in English of the multifarious interests and accomplishments of the Ray family and itscollateral branches, The Rays Before Satyajit interweaves the Ray saga with the larger history of Indian modernity and its contradictions. Whilst eager to learn from the West and rarely drawn to simple-minded nationalism, the Rays, at their best, shunned mere imitation and sought to create forms of themodern that were thoroughly Indian and enthusiastically cosmopolitan. Some of the outcomes of this quest such as Upendrakishore Rays innovations in half-tone photography were even appreciated in the West, though the metropolitan careers of colonial innovators, as the book shows, were inevitably constrained by forces beyond their control. Ranging confidently across the history of religion, literature, science, technology and entrepreneurial culture, The Rays before Satyajit is not only acollective biography of an extraordinary family but illuminates the history of Indian modernity from a bracingly original perspective.

Swaminarayan Hinduism is rooted in its formation in India at the cusp of the early modern and colonial period. This book explores the new discoveries, recent research and interpretation of the history, doctrine, devotional arts, and transnational developments provide a foundation for a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary Swaminarayan growth, belief and practice. The themes that trace through the analyses are tradition and adaptation in the historical andsocial process of creating a complex new religious identity in response to social, economic and political changes. The book contains current academic research from several disciplinesincluding history, theology, the arts, architecture, sociology, and migration studiesto analyze how the stories,texts, and arts shape and reveal the thought, devotion, conduct, and socio-religious community that guide Swaminarayan Hindus through major transitions across time and space in several contexts. Swaminarayan is one of the rapidly expanding transnational Hindu movements with followers and institutions throughout India and abroad, especially in the United States, Britain, East Africa and Australasia.

Based on comparative data and interviews with over 90 senior managerial personnel from Indian multinationals, this book provides a comprehensive picture of the emerging multinational firms from India in terms of their internationalization process, competitive advantages, approach to global markets, and future outlook.