Education and Society
Themes, Perspectives, Practices
Oxford in India Readings in Sociology and Social Anthropology Series

Education and Society: Themes, Perspectives, Practices concerns itself with the social issues and contexts that underpin education and learning in India. It begins with a focus on the possibilities opened up by education, whether these concern the individual, society, or the world at large. Through an excellent selection of essays arranged in six thematic sections, this volume provides an overview of the major underlying concepts in the sociology of education, as well as of the processes and practices that explicate education in contemporary India. Most essays are grounded on empirical research and use ethnography in seeking to understand education from the perspective of students, teachers, as well as the institutional and non-institutional settings within which educational practices occur. The rich and panoramic introduction provides a broad canvas to the essays, which are intentionally both an academic work and a pedagogical aid, since education is both an intellectual discipline, and also a profession.

Meenakshi Thapan is Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.