In Science, Civilization, and Empire in India, Zaheer Baber analyzes the social context of the origins and development of science and technology in India from antiquity through colonialism to the modern period. The focus is on the two- way interaction between science and society: how specific social and cultural factors led to the emergence of specific scientific/technological knowledge systems and institutions that transformed the very social conditions that produced them. A key feature is the author's analysis of the role of pre-colonial trading circuits and other institutional factors in...

This book highlights the continuing relevance of classical sociological theories and concepts in making sense of the contemporary globalized world. Covering a very wide historical and geographical range and topics that include: classical sociological theory, genocide, resistance, the intifada, street gangs, democracy, bureaucracy, war literature, ethnic diversity, national culture, and science, the distinguished contributors to this volume affirm the contemporary relevance of the classical sociological tradition for making sense of the global human condition.