Cultures and Societies in Transition : India, Russia and Other CIS Countries

Contents: Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. The voyage of socio-cultural evolution in India and the CIS/Manu Mittal. 2. The process of cultural transition in Russia/Sankar Basu. 3. "New currents in Russian poetry" Mikhail Epstein's after the future/Abhai Maurya. 4. Impact of social transition on Russian national identity/A.V. Yegorova. 5. Mass media and national identity in Multi-cultural society of Russia: In search of a balance between toleration and freedom of expression/Veronica V. Usacheva. 6. Three centuries in cultural transition of the Kazak society/Guljanat Kurmangaliyeva Ercilasun. 7. Indo-Persian literary culture and Central Asia: Through Iranian perspective/S.A. Hasan. 8. Society and culture in the twenty-first century role of science and religion in development/Mahnaz Merchant. 9. Impact of globalization on culture: One world culture/Neelmani Upadhyay. 10. Psychological aspects of cultures and societies in transition/N.K. Sharma. 11. Globalization and national culture development/Zarrin Abdukhalik-Zade. 12. The origin of the cult of fertility: Central Asian and Indian Rock Art/Debal Dasgupta and Vishwas H. Sonawane 13. Women's liberation liberalized/Ritoo M. Jerath. 14. The Russian economy in the post-Soviet Period/Meeta Narain. 15. Indo-Russian bilateral relations in 21st century: A brief report/A. Rajeshwar Raju. 16. The Dilemma of ethnicity and territoriality in present day Russia/Ranjana Banerjee. 17. Transformation of the silk road concept: With reference to Kyrgyzstan -India relations/Indira Musaeva. 18. The kyrgyz revolution: Before and after/Konuralp Ercilasun. 19. Cultural revivalism in present Uzbekistan/Tashmirza Khalmirzaev. 20. Functional specificity of oriental international lexicon (OIL) in the languages of Central Asia and India/Azad N. Shamatov and Sirajuddin S. Nurmatov. 21. On the reflection of some new scientific and cultural notions in Indian life by means of modern Hindi/Mahira Nasirova. 22. Resurgence of Hindi in the wake of globalization/Gajendra S. Chauhan. 23. Problems of single mother: Two different approaches/J.P. Dimri and A. Charumati Ramdas. 24. Contemporary Russian plays: A new experience/Nasar Shkeel Roomi. 13 articles are in Russian (25 to 37). 2 articles in Hindi (38 and 39). List of contributors.

"As political, economic and social changes sweep across the globe, the term globalisation acquires a meaning much beyond geopolitics and economics to include the globalisation of culture. While societies attempt to reconcile their ancient as well as new cultural identities they silently and sometimes turbulently witness a state of dynamic flux unleashing powerful forces of further socio-cultural transition.

India reflects a multitude of cultures both traditional and modern, that often blend, sometimes co-exist, at other times clash and at times fuse to give new meaning, form and expression in arts, language and culture.

While contemporary Russian Social and cultural trends break from the Soviet past, the newly independent states of the CIS in their assertion of national identities are distancing themselves from Russian Language, literature, are forms and cultural heroes by either reviving lost traditions or attempting to find new cultural voices.

These social and cultural transitions and transformations and the cultural history in the making in India and the CIS, need a close study. This book is a collection of critiques and essays by leading experts from diverse backgrounds from India, Russia and other CIS countries and brings together their insights and views on the rapid socio-cultural transition that these countries are passing through." (jacket)