Living Together Rethinking Identity and Difference in the Modern Context

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How to live together while being different, is an age old problem but has become vital at present. Modernity, it was assumed, would lead to establishment of universal human identity getting priority over cultural specific differences, but that has not happened. Rather today we are encountered with 'ethnic globalization paradox'. On the one hand, world is getting closer due to globalizing process, on the other, ethnic/cultural groups are fighting for recognition of their identities. The current phase of globalization has added new dimensions and urgency to it. Large scale migrations from their native places has compelled the acceptance of the existence of others, differently from our forefathers. As now, cultures are being seen, interacted and encountered. Pragmatic need for a peaceful interaction between people of different cultural backgrounds, invites attention for developing strategies to deal with the problem of identity and difference in an effective way for cooperation. The major feature of the book is the critical survey of the ongoing debate between various strategies such as, assimilationism, multiculturalism, interculturalism and transculturalism, suggested for addressing the vexed problem.

Another distinctive feature of the book, is to provide answers to the relevant questions of the need, significance and construction of social/cultural identity and develop an understanding of identity crisis, conflicts and politics, for developing a theoretical framework to find an answer of the conundrum. This book will be valuable and thought provoking to readers who want to look beyond Fukuyama's liberal thesis of 'end of ideology and Huntington's culturalist thesis of 'clash of civilizations".

Alok Tandon is an independent researcher, known for his rational and inquisitive spirit, as well as for his passion and commitment to philosophy. After doing his Ph.D. in philosophy, he was recipient of ICSSR general fellowship for his project, Religion and Violence and ICPR resident and project fellowship. He was also honored by Akhil Bhartiya Darshan Parishad with 'Nagar Award for his contribution in the field of Philosophy. He has participated in more than hundred seminars/conferences and published more than fifty papers in national/international journals of repute. He is a vibrant speaker too. His major interests lie in the field of ethics and social philosophy. He has to his credit four books, one in English, Man in his Destiny, and three books in Hindi, Vikalpa aur Vimarsh, Samay se Samvad and Asmita aur A0nvata.

How to live together while being different, is an age old problem, to which the current phase of globalization had added new dimensions and urgency. The development in information, communication and transport technolo- gies have killed the distance. Large scale migration of people from their native places has made it impossible to ignore the existence of others' in a way that was pos- sible for our forefathers. Cultures are seeing eye to eye. Pragmatic needs of interaction between people of differ ent cultural backgrounds, in the ongoing globalization process, calls for developing strategies to deal with the problem of identity and difference in an effective way. The purpose of our inquiry in this project, is to examine the claims of various theoretical models/strategies sug- gested in this regard. But before doing that, we need to clarify some related conceptual issues so that a theo- retical framework may be developed to serve as a benchmark for our study. The relevant questions are: What do we mean by having an identity? Why do we need itt How is it historically constructed? What role others play in its construction?

My first thanks goes to Dr. Kanchana Mahadevan, former Head, Philosophy Department, Bombay Univer- sity, who inspired me to take up a project around this subject from ICPR. Next, I am highly grateful to Dr. M.P. Singh. the former Member Secretary ICPR, who helped me in getting the project sanctioned. The problem of affiliation of the project was solved by Dr. Shivani Sharma, the then Head, Philosophy Depart- ment, Punjab University, Chandigarh, by granting me permission. So, my heartfelt gratitude to her. I shall fail in my duty if I don't mention Sri Lallan Baghel, next Head, Philosophy Department, Punjab University, for his cooperation in facilitating the on-going project. My sincere thanks to him. I can never forget the con- tribution of the librarian/staff Ms. Sadhna Sagar, Ms. Preeti Chandra and Sri Krishna Kumar Verma of ICPR Academic Centre Library at Lucknow, who pro- vided me all the books and facilities needed for research. My special thanks to them. I am also grateful to Sri Saurabh Kumar Sinha, who typed the manuscript neatly and sincerely.

Before we begin our inquiry, we need to clarify two of the key concepts used in our study identity and difference. And since our concern is not personal identity but social identity, we need to understand social aspect of identity formation better. What is it to have an identity? What is the relationship between community and identity? Why do we need an identity? What is the difference between community and other social relations? Answers to these questions will provide the necessary background to the issues raised in the present study.