Experience, Caste, and the Everyday Social

by Gopal Guru, Sarukkai Sundar

This book is an exploration of the nature of this 'social'; it argues that our definition of sociality is influenced largely by our everyday lives, the institutions we are part of, and the relationships we build-all of these experiences catalyse the way we see the social world and shape how we act in it. We smell, touch, and taste the social; we belong to the social (every social collection is defined by our sense of belongingness to, for instance, the family, the community, or the caste); and from all of this we understand something of the nature of the social. This volume is a theoretical interpretation of the process of the creation of the 'social' through our everyday lives-of how we construct a sense of 'identity', 'authority', and 'ethics' through sensory perceptions that we experience in our daily lives.

Genres: Academic, Sociology

257 pages, Hardcover

Published January 5, 2020

Reviews

[Shalaj Lawania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting questions (might just be my increasing weakness for philosophy) that I've never considered. Lately I've been intrigued with questions around 'what is a society' and this book is pretty good exploration.

However, as noted in my review of Cracked Mirror by the same authors, these books only work for me if I skim through and just weigh the larger questions. For experts, I'm sure the book might be more compelling and worth a deeper read.

[Crystaline John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing philosophical readings on untouchability, caste, and gender. Also adds the much required ethical reading of the social to the discussion of societies, individuals, power, and life.