Social transformation is not an abstract utopia of social activists. It calls for analyzing social forces in historical and cultural context. There is no unilinear direction for change. It is a complex and multidimensional process. India is passing through a rapid social upheaval. The questions need to ponder over are:
• On which way we are going?
• What is the nature of social transformation?
• Who are the gainers and losers of development?
• What new socio-economic forces and value systems are emerging in the country?
• What role social scientists and other intellectuals play in the process of social transformation towards better social order?
Social scientists of different disciplines, viz., sociology, anthropology, political science, history, etc., from India and abroad, discuss these and similar other questions in this volume.
This is a felicitation volume in honour of late Professor I.P. Desai, the Founder-Director of Centre for Social Studies, Surat. Prof. Desai was an eminent sociologist who wrote several books on family, education, social movements, caste and tribe. He was concerned with building ‘desired society’.
In this second edition, a new chapter by I.P. Desai, ‘The Concept of the Desired Type of Society and the Problems of Social Change’ has been included. This is relevant today for social activists as well as academia concerned with sensitizing us towards the prevailing social problems and revive our concern for social change.