Examining the Spatial Dimension: Globalization and local Development in India

This collective volume brings together the interdisciplinary work of a group of French social science scholars who have specialized on India. By focusing on the different levels or ‘scales’ of development – local, regional, national and international – of India in the last few decades, multidisciplinary perspectives from geography, economics, anthropology, sociology, agronomy and history try to highlight the complexity of the Indian development process, in particular the fact that India’s development cannot be pinpointed down as occurring at one single level.

Most of the essays are based on fieldwork in India, and the introduction raises methodological and conceptual issues on globalization from a specifically French social science perspective. This book will be useful to students and researchers who are interested in both sectoral studies and also a wider social sciences perspective on Indian development, with a very realistic appraisal of globalization and its impact on India. The long-term perspectives that are highlighted in this book will enable both scholars and a wider audience to evaluate the strengths and the problems that face India’s economy and its vibrant democracy.