ISBN10: 8178243172, ISBN13: 9788178243177, [publisher: Permanent Black] Hardcover In Lineages of Political Society the eminent political theorist Partha Chatterjee reveals the emergence of a new theory of postcolonial democracy As against earlier ideas about the nature of democracy which grew predominantly out of notions and practices in the West Chatterjee powerfully argues that the theory now in evidence is not merely a record of the imperfections and immaturity of democracy in the non-Western world On the contrary it has devised concepts and analytical tools 2to understand the formation of new democratic practices In doing so it has also shown up histories of modern political institutions which are not part of the genealogy of Western democracyIn the course of making these arguments Chatterjee revisits several themes introduced in his acclaimed earlier work The Politics of the Governed 2004 To those themes he now adds historical depth and contemporary empirical detail And although most of the examples in Lineages of Political Society are drawn from India the arguments within it afford comparisons with countries in Asia Africa and Latin AmericaChatterjee also here clarifies the location of his work in relation to liberal political theory understandings of contemporary capitalism and theories of nationalism and populism In several chapters he joins the lively and ongoing debate over his concept of political society This work will seem indispensable to anyone wishing ...