Contents Acknowledgements xi Introduction xvii PART 1 Section 1: Political Philosophy 1. Philosophy and Politics in Hegel 3 2. Functionalism in Contemporary Political Science: Its Ideological Essence 11 3. A Critique of Behaviouralism in Contemporary Political Science 20 4. The Issue of Democracy and the “Clash of Civilizations” Thesis Today: Some Reflections 37 5. The Debate on Humanism and its Consequences for Culture, Philosophy and Politics in the 20th Century 44 6. Political Science in India: Some Reflections on the state of the Discipline 52 7. Understanding the Idea of Justice: Contending Frames of Inquiry 58 8. The Problem of Identity in the context of Postmodernism: Some Critical Reflections 66 9. The West contra East or the West and the East? Reengaging a contentious Issue 77 10. Democracy, Difference, and the Politics of Reason 92 11. Rabindranath Tagore’s Understanding of the West and its Contemporary Relevance 108 12. Terrorism and the Modernity-Identity Debate: Some Critical Reflections 120 13. Political Theory in India: Some Reflections on the Current Scenario 134 14. Against Eurocentrism, contra Nativism: In Defence of a New Perspective for the Indian Academics 154 15. From Ideological Contest to Civilizational Clash? Reexamining the World Today 177 16. The Postcolonial Challenge: Some Critical Notes 187 17. Indigenous Knowledge and the Challenge of Modernity: Conflict or Conflation? 200 Section 2: Indian Politics 18. Dialectics and Indian Constitution 209 19. Rajni Kothari and the “Centre-Periphery” Model: A Critique 221 20. US Neocolonialism and Its Policy of Destabilization of India in Recent Times: An Appraisal 241 21. Democracy, Revolution and The Question of State Power in Developing Countries 264 22. Marxism, Ideology and State Power in India 277 23. The Left in India and The Question of Political Power: Some Unresolved theoretical Questions 289 24. The Left in India and the Relevance of Gramsci 298 25. Indian People’s Struggle against Exploitation: The Emerging Perspectives in the New Century 308 26. India: The Growing Crisis 320 27. The Ideological Challenge of Globalization before the Indian Left and its Relevance for the Third World 327 28. The Crisis of Stability and Political Vision in West Bengal: Notes in Troubled Times 342 29. The Left’s Exit: Notes for Consideration of All Concerned 348 30. Reading Lenin in Candlelight: The West Bengal Assembly Polls, 2011 and the Retreat of the Left 355 31. Organization sans Ideology? Some Thoughts for the Left 370 32. CPI and the Pakistan Question: Reviewing a Contested Issue 382 33. India’s Democracy: Towards an Unknown Future? 396 34. Ajit Roy’s Gramscian Vision of Politics and its Relevance in Today’s India 407 35. How the Communist Party of India emerged as the Largest Opposition to Congress in 1951-52 414 36. Diagnosing Indian Marxism: A Mistaken Understanding of History 421 37. P.C. Joshi and the History of Indian Communism 435 38. The Present Political Scenario: Emerging Economic and Cultural Challenges 443 PART 2 Section 3: Marxism 39. From Ideology to the Science of Politics: An Inquiry into the Marxist Foundation of Politics 455 40. Marxism and the Idea of Intellectual Commitment 477 41. Stalin, India and Some Problems of NationalLiberation Movement 495 42. Marxism, Epistemology and Political Analysis: Some Notes towards an Inquiry 530 43. Soviet Socialism and the Question of Democracy in Recent Times 539 44. Perestroika and Destalinization: Its Implications for Revolutionary Strategy 557 45. Socialism and the Issue of Multi-Party Democracy 566 46. The Possibilities of Marxism Reconsidered 577 47. The Crisis of Socialism: Some Notes towards a Philosophical Inquiry 588 48. M. N. Roy’s Critique of the Comintern: An Exercise in Bukharinism? 595 49. The Third International and Anti-Imperialist Struggle in India: A View from the Comintern Archives 630 50. Rosa Luxemburg on the Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Marxists’ Assessment of the Destiny of October Revolution: Towards a Convergence? 682 51. The Nemesis of Socialism? Some Reflections on the Collapse of the Soviet Union 697 52. Some Notes on Rethinking Marxism for the future of Socialism in India 709 53. Marx’s Critique of Hegel in the Paris Manuscripts and its Philosophical Significance 716 54. M.N. Roy’s Critique of Comintern and its Significance Today 731 55. Evolution of Rosa Luxemburg’s concept of Revolutionary Democracy in the light of her Gesammelte Briefe 750 56. Foreword to the Telugu edition of Moshe Lewin, Lenin’s Last Struggle 763 57. Marx, Democracy and the Legacy of Nontraditional Marxism: from Rosa Luxemburg to Louis Althusser 767 58. The Relevance of Rosa Luxemburg for Building an Alternative Revolutionary Left Party in Today’s World 794 59. Lenin’s understanding of the November Revolution: Exploring New Perspectives 811 60. The Russian Revolution, The Third International and the Colonial Question 835 61. Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg and the November Revolution: The Fear they Shared 860 62. Evaluation of Rosa Luxemburg: An Examination of the Changing Perspectives of International Scholarship 872 63. Lenin 150: Revisiting Lenin’s Understanding of Democracy in Post-revolutionary Russia 889 64. In Remembrance: Ajit Roy — A Forgotten Communist Activist and Intellectual (A Birth Centenary Tribute) 905 65. Foreword to the Telugu edition of Roger Garaudy, Karl Marx: The Evolution of His Thought 912 66. Western Marxism and Soviet Marxism: Conflict or Cooperation? 920 Learn More