Tuesday, January 29, 2008

It brings forth Sri Aurobindo’s neglected social and international vision and underlines his role as a cultural critic

Sri Aurobindo — A Contemporary Reader
Editor: Sachidananda Mohanty
ISBN 9780415460934 Hardback / pp. 235 / Rs 275
Routledge India Original Date of Publication: January 2008
About the Book
This book brings together some of the finest writings of Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950), justly acclaimed by Aldous Huxley as one of the greatest nationalists, visionaries and poet-philosophers of the twentieth century. The volume encompasses the extraordinary reach of this multifaceted genius, providing in one single place access to key tenets and formulations underlying the wide range of texts authored by him.
Firmly grounded in contemporary times, this work projects a body of writings that is certain to have lasting value. It brings forth Sri Aurobindo’s neglected social and international vision and underlines his role as a cultural critic, focusing on his views on ethnicity and the role language plays in the shaping of communitarian identities, his central understanding of self-determination underlying the human rights discourse of today, of identity politics and the future of ideological systems.
Located in a specific intellectual, historical and spiritual matrix, this collection will enable readers to judge the overall vision of Sri Aurobindo against the backdrop of the intellectual history of ideas. Its thrust is both local and civilisational. Backed by recent developments in theory and disciplinary practice, including consciousness and future studies, the book will interest scholars of philosophy, history, politics, cultural studies, and comparative religion.
Contents
List of Photographs / Preface / Acknowledgements / PART 1: Introduction / PART 2: I. Editor’s Prologue / The Ideal of Human Unity / II. Editor’s Prologue / The Human Cycle / III. Editor’s Prologue / War and Self Determination / IV. Editor’s Prologue / The Foundations of Indian Culture / V. Editor’s Prologue / Autobiographical Notes and Other Writings of Historical Interest / Epilogue / References and Select Bibliography / Index
About the Editor
Sachidananda Mohanty is Professor of English at the University of Hyderabad. He has received a number of prizes and awards, including the Katha British Council Translation Prize for outstanding translation (1994) and the University Grants Commission's ‘Career Award’ (1994–97). He has published extensively in Oriya and English, including Understanding Cultural Exchange (1997), Literature and Culture (2001), Travel Writing and the Empire (2003), Travel Writing and Colonialism (2003) and Early Women’s Writing in Orissa 1898-1950: A Lost Tradition (2005), and has a forthcoming volume entitled Gender and Cultural Identity in Colonial Orissa.
He had his early education at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry.
To place an order, contact:
Taylor and Francis Books India Pvt. Ltd.
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