Cultural Otherness and Beyond

Book excerpt: This collection of essays deals with some pressing social, cultural and moral concerns. It addresses problems of trans-cultural and intro-cultural understanding due to diverse perceptions of various themes. Moving beyond "Cultural Otherness" its aim is to evolve linkages between alternative visions of convergent character avoiding the extremes of hegemonic globalization and radical relativism. Themes included are: alternative perceptions of 1. history and historiography; 2. flux; 3. satisfactions, and obstacles in cross-cultural understanding; 4. A-self and other; 5. cultural objects; 6. world crisis; 7. democracy and development; 8. bias against women in India; 9. gender justice; 10. women's freedom; 11. culture, theory and practice. Each subject in its specific area signals the turn towards shared visions of the human condition. The book has relevance for an interdisciplinary audience interested in cross-cultural dialogue that signals the turn from divergences to convergence, fragmentation to non-hegemonic globalization