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Book Review
From the blurb
In Defence of Globalisation (With a New Afterword): Jagdish Bhagwati; Oxford University Press, YMCA
Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 345.
In this new edition the internationally renowned economist addresses fresh concerns from noted journalist Thomas Friedman and Nobel Laureate economist Paul Samuelson in an afterword. He argues that concerns about economic effects of globalisation are as unfounded as were concerns about its fallouts. He takes on globalisation’s critics using sound economic principles and vivid examples rather than inflamed rhetoric to show that globalisation, when properly governed, is in fact the most powerful force for social and economic good in the world today. Using China and India as examples he argues that concerns about economic effects of globalisation are as unfounded as were concerns about its social fallouts. He carefully explains the fallacies that underlie many of the critics’ arguments, suggesting that there is a good reason why most globalisation protestors come from rich rather than poor countries. Exploring globalisation’s ‘human face’ in great detail, he demonstrates its beneficial effects on a variety of social issues including child labour, women’s rights, democracy, wage and labour standards, and the environment. He concludes that by focusing so much on globalisation’s purported evils, the opportunities to focus on accelerating its achievements while coping with its downslides are missed.
Studying Hinduism — Key Concepts and Methods: Edited by Sushil Mittal & Gene Thursby; Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 270, Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016.
Intended as a resource for developing a deeper understanding of one of the world’s oldest and most multifaceted religious traditions, this book offers a rich variety of perspectives reflecting the current lively state of the field. The viewpoints of the essays include anthropology, art, comparative literature, history, philosophy, religious studies, and sociology. These complementary and exciting approaches will help to understand India’s cultures and traditions, to which Hinduism is integral.
Earth Lessons — Three Essays on Saving the Planet: Kamla Chowdhry; Edited by Devaki Singh and Makarand Paranjape, Vikram Sarabhai Foundation, New Delhi.
This posthumous collection brings together some of Kamla Chowdhry’s work on the crises that face our planet. Informed throughout by her commitment to Gandhian ideals of sustainable development and ecological responsibility, these thoughts and ideas, developed through her lifetime of engagement and activism, still have the power to inspire and stir. In an extraordinary life that spanned some of the most turbulent and exciting decades of the 20th century, she pursued her quest with great tenacity and dogged perseverance. The three essays are reconstructed from her numerous shorter writings published over several years.
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