Political Science

Abstract

Indian Political Thought is the third of a four-volume research surveys and explorations in political science conducted by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). This volume critically reviews research done on ancient, medieval, and modern Indian political thought. The volume is a departure from the conventional approach of studying Indian political thought through political-intellectual biographies. It uses a multidisciplinary approach to explore research on themes such as politics of time and knowledge, ethics, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism. It traces the paradigm shifts in the study of Indian political thought from the initial dismissive Orientalist approach to the attempts by Indian scholars to elaborate ancient Indian political thought as a tradition. It also discusses multidisciplinary engagement with debates on a wide range of contemporary issues. Besides evaluating the state of research in Indian political thought and providing a bibliographic guide, the volume also identifies the gaps in the field and possible lines of enquiry in the future.