Science And Modern India An Institutional History C 1784 1947 Project Of History Of Science Philosophy And Culture In Indian Civilization Volume Xv Part 4

Science and Modern India: An Institutional History, c.1784-1947: Project of History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Volume XV, Part 4 comprises chapters contributed by eminent scholars. It discusses the historical background of the establishment of science institutes that were established in pre-Independence India, and still exist, their functions and their present status. This volume discusses Indian science institutes that specialize in a particular field. It also delves into the area of engineering sciences.

This book provides an explanation of the nature of the Indian university system, including its specificities and its peculiarities as well as exploring how they developed. It offers a historical and institutional perspective by singling out the forces that have shaped the present Indian higher education system. Bridging the pre-independence and the post-independence eras, the book illustrates the continuities as well as the differences between the two epochs. It makes a compelling case for the idea that history matters, and an understanding of India’s history is crucial to understanding the present day Indian university scene. Using multiple paradigmatic case studies, based on the University of Calcutta, the Indian Institute of Science, and the Indian Statistical Institute, the book highlights the dominant ideologies and interests that have shaped the university system since its inception in 1857. It will be of great importance to students and scholars of history and education, particularly those with an interest in the history of India and its education system.

This book fills an important gap in studies on D. D. Kosambi. For the first time, the mathematical work of Kosambi is described, collected and presented in a manner that is accessible to non-mathematicians as well. A number of his papers that are difficult to obtain in these areas are made available here. In addition, there are essays by Kosambi that have not been published earlier as well as some of his lesser known works. Each of the twenty four papers is prefaced by a commentary on the significance of the work, and where possible, extracts from technical reviews by other mathematicians.

Leprosy, widely mentioned in different religious texts and ancient scriptures, is the oldest scourge of humankind. Cases of leprosy continue to be found across the world as the most crucial health problem, especially in India and Brazil. There are a few maladies that eventually turn into social disquiets, and leprosy is undoubtedly one of them. This book traces the dynamics of the interface between colonial policy on leprosy and religion, science and society in Bengal from the mid-nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth centuries. It explores how the idea of ‘degeneration’ and the ‘desolates’ shaped the colonial legality of segregating ‘lepers’ in Indian society. The author also delves into the treatments of leprosy that were often transfigured from ‘original’ English texts, written by American or British medical professionals, into Bengali. Rich in archival resources, this book is an essential read for scholars and researchers of history, Indian history, public health, social history, medical humanities, medical history and colonial history.

An edited volume by Monsoon Assemblages, a European Research Council funded research project. The book presents the methods that Monsoon Assemblages has evolved for engaging the monsoon, a globally connected weather system, as a coproducer of urban life and space in South and Southeast Asian cities. It challenges views of climate as an inert backdrop to urban life, instead suggesting that it is materially and spatially active in shaping urban politics, ecologies, infrastructures, buildings and bodies. It combines critical texts with cartography, photography and ethnography to present the project’s methodology and its outcomes and invites urban practitioners to think differently about space, time, representation and human and non-human agency. It offers intra-disciplinary, intra-active methods for rethinking human and non-human relations with weather in ways that meet the challenges of climate change and the Anthropocene.

The awareness of “light” as both a concept and a phenomenon existed long before it became a matter of scientific interest. This volume investigates the many ways in which light has been conceptualized throughout history. Employing different methodological approaches derived from various disciplines in the humanities, the essays gathered here situate the concept of light within discourses on gender, religion, intellectual life, politics, art, and digital culture. Through diverse perspectives, light is defined – in some cases synchronically – as a physical phenomenon, a visual tool, and a philosophic idea. This book combines the fields of intellectual studies, religion, literature, and visual culture to explore the complexities of conceptual paradigms that represent various manifestations of the idea of light. Through original readings, the contributing authors present a range of scholarly perspectives, offering new interpretations of the idea of light and its history within the humanities.