For generations now, philosophers and thinkers have produced theories embracing the entire humanity. As we all well know, these statements have been produced in relative, and sometimes, absolute ignorance of the majority of mankind, i.e., those living in non-western cultures. This in itself is not paradoxical, for the more self-conscious European philosophers have always sought to theoretically justify this stance. The everyday paradox of third-world social science is that we find these theories, in spite of their inherent ignorance of us, eminently useful in understanding our societies.
What allowed the modern European sages to develop such clairvoyance with regard to societies of which they were empirically ignorant? Why cannot we, once again return the gaze?
My goal with this blog is to empower us to “return the gaze” as expressed by historian Dipesh Chakraborty above.
To look right into the eyes of Western ideas and practices, as aware and conscious beings, I aim to cover the following three areas:
Urban Development
Urban development is largely based on ideas laid out in the West and we’re unable to explicitly connect them to the way Indians experience their cities. Here, the purpose is to rethink Indian urban studies in the way advocated by Prof. Balagangadhara, teaching at Gent University in Belgium. This reinterpretation will be done by “translating Indian experiences (of urban) to the 21st century idiom” by breaking down western ideas and practices and placing them alongside Indian urban experiences. Such a comparative analysis would allow us to break from our past understandings of the structure and dynamics of Indian cities.
Governance, including Corporate Governance
While pursuing my doctoral studies in the U.S., I was struck by the uncanny similarity between the decision-making process of American urban planners and administrators in India (including members of the Indian Administrative Service, or IAS), and this led to the idea that western theoretical frameworks can be used to see Indian administrative practices in a new light. Adapting these western theories and models, including from the corporate sector, to the direct and mediated experiences of administrators has the potential to transform practitioners, especially in the IAS, to leaders.
Unique India
India has pursued an exhaustive investigation of the mind for more than 2,500 years and has gathered, in a practical way, a wealth of experiential findings over centuries. While a large number of people in India have dedicated their lives to this contemplative science, western civilizations have expanded their knowledge through the natural sciences. These two perspectives form two points of view: contemplative and scientific, or what we also call first- and third-person knowledge. The aim is to confront these two perspectives and find a common ground based on these two types of knowledge.