On India: Self-image and Counter-image

Anindita N. Balslev

Apr 2013 · SAGE Publications India

About this ebook

On India: Self-image and Counter-image looks at the philosophical and religious as well as the sociopolitical forces that are at work in the Indian cultural soil shaping multiple aspects of the lives of millions. The principal focus is on some images construed both by insiders and outsiders reflecting various aspects that are relevant for comprehending India. The essays address two major concerns: one is about how cross-cultural conversation on India should proceed today, noting some of the primary issues and concerns; the other is with regard to whether India has a core cultural image identifiable among the range of competing images, and if so, how to conceptualize its counter-image.

The contributors discuss whether it is possible to arrive at a consensus about the persistent features of the Indian civilization without losing out on the defining characteristic of changing values and norms. The wide canvas of depictions and conceptualizations throw light on the aspirations and ground realities of the geopolitically bounded space called India.

About the author

Anindita N. Balslev is a philosopher based in India and Denmark. She obtained her MA (Calcutta) and PhD (Paris) degrees in philosophy. Her educational and professional experience in India, France, the US, and Denmark has inspired her to create a forum for “Cross-cultural Conversation” (CCC). The international CCC conferences that she organizes have led to thought-provoking discussions and publications. She serves on the boards of several important international organizations/societies and is a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion. Apart from contributing many essays in professional journals in the areas of philosophy, religion, and culture, she is the author of A Study of Time in Indian Philosophy, Cultural Otherness: Correspondence with Richard Rorty, Indian Conceptual World, and The Enigma of I-consciousness. She is also the editor of the volume entitled Cross-cultural Conversation, On India: Self-Image and Counter-Image and the coeditor of the volumes entitled Religion and Time and of Compassion in the World’s Religions.