Checkpoint Sociology: A Cultural Reading of Policies and Politics

This book provides a cultural interpretation of public life and state interventions in India, arguing that statistical interventions alone are insufficient to understand the relationship between cultural factors and economic life. It offers a novel guide to resolving the vexing relationship between the public and private domains and urges policy makers to be self-consciously intersubjective.

Format: Hardback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 16 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Based on extensive fieldwork and involvement in national-level policy-making bodies, this book offers a cultural interpretation of how public life and state interventions in India should be understood. While acknowledging the importance of statistical interventions in governmental decision-making, it highlights a significant deficiency in understanding how cultural factors shape and influence economic life. To address this gap, Dipankar Gupta delves into anti-poverty drives, labor relations, election studies, and more, providing a novel and insightful guide to resolving the complex relationship between the public and private domains. Throughout this exploration, the sociological lens remains vigilant, offering helpful signals on navigating intricate issues in public life.

Above all, this book emphasizes the importance of policy makers adopting a self-consciously intersubjective approach, where sociology can make its significant impact. The Appendix showcases various situations where cultural sensitivity and the discipline of sociology demonstrate their value in finding innovative solutions to pressing problems in our country.

This book is co-published with Aakar Books. The print edition is not available for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Bhutan).

Weight: 612g
Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032523392