What kinds of civic ties between different ethnic communities can contain; or even prevent; ethnic violence? This book draws on new research on Hindu-Muslim conflict in India to address this important question. Ashutosh Varshney examines three pairs of Indian cities; one city in each pair with a history of communal violence; the other with a history of relative communal harmony; to discern why violence between Hindus and Muslims occurs in some situations but not in others. His findings will be of strong interest to scholars; politicians; and policymakers of South Asia; but the implications of his study have theoretical and practical relevance for a broad range of multiethnic societies in other areas of the world as well. The book focuses on the networks of civic engagement that bring Hindu and Muslim urban communities together. Strong associational forms of civic engagement; such as integrated business organisations; trade unions; political parties; and professional associations; are able to control outbreaks of ethnic violence; Varshney shows. Vigorous and communally integrated associational life can serve as an agent of peace by restraining those; including powerful politicians; who would polarize Hindus and Muslims along communal lines.
#1338153 in Books 1995-10-25Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.27 x 9.89 x 10.40l; #File Name: 0300055951384 pagesbookrussian social historyrussia
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Self and Splendor: the World of the Russian Country EstateBy Keith WheelockProfessor Priscilla Roosevelt; author of the magisterial LIFE ON THE RUSSIAN COUNTRY ESTATE: A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY; degreed at Harvard and Columbia; became fascinated by the social and cultural history of Russian estates while writing her doctoral dissertation. This passion has resulted in her becoming perhaps the leading authority on these aspects of Russia's history.Like WAR AND PEACE and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO; Professor captured the breadth and scope of a vanished way of life. Her astounding scholarship earned her a nice letter from George Kennan. Roosevelt's age of 'selfdom and splendor' was a far cry from Hyde Park; where King George VI and Queen Mary were quartered in a tiny guestroom that would be considered servant quarters in England or Mount Vernon; where guests were served boarding house dinners.The scale of Russian serfdom was staggering. A few estate owners had over 100;000 serfs to fulfill their caprices; and there were 30 million privately owned serfs compared with 4 million slaves in the American south. The golden age of estate building began with Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Owners sought to emulate lavish French and; later; English styles; but on steroids; due to their apparently limitless wealth. The top nobles often got their wealth from imperial concessions on Russia's natural resources and from massive grants of land and serfs from the czars. (Sound familiar; czar Putin?) They had regiments of serf artists and artisans who were apprenticed locally or even occasionally sent abroad to master their crafts.Russia was a hierarchical society. On the estate the local autocrat was the sole source of law. The Westernized elite in their manor houses were surrounded by traditional Russian peasant villages. Yet renowned artists such as Pushkin and Tolstoy learned to appreciate native culture by living on their estates.Roosevelt employed stunning visuals to illustrate estate opulence. Count Sheremetev's Kuskovo hosted Catherine the Great six times. Its lavish reception rooms advertised his wealth and the skills of his serf artists. The separate kitchen wing; one of a number of amazing outbuildings; would be a lordly mansion elsewhere. The conservatory operated throughout the harsh Russian winters; delivering fruits and vegetables to guests while birds fluttered about. The grotto and Italian palace were used for entertaining; while the hermitage allowed the count to be alone with intimate guests; food and drink arriving invisibly via dumb waiters.Noblesse oblige encouraged lavish entertainments; to which people 'appropriately dressed' were invited. Many festive days ended with eye-popping fireworks. The count's serf theater was famous: the performances outdid those of Moscow's Imperial Theater. There were at least 800 serf theaters on estates throughout Russia; as well as numerous serf harems.In 1861 the Tsar emancipated Russia's serfs. Now anyone with money could own an estates; and nobles who cold not manage without serfs sold their properties in droves. But significantly; most new owners were well aware of the prestigious traditions of earlier estate life and tried to maintain them during the next half century.World War I; the 1917 revolution; and Russia's civil war finally doomed Russia's estates. Houses were pillaged and destroyed; the owners displaced or murdered; and the archives and libraries burned. Some estate buildings escaped by becoming government facilities. More recently there has been a concerted effort; in which Roosevelt has been in the forefront; to restore some vestiges of these magnificent estates. Meanwhile; if you crave a Russian faux mansion; there is a new 20;000 sq. ft. Moscow edifice available for $13.9 million..1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Beautiful and Informative BookBy Nils H. WessellA stunning "coffee table" book accompanied by a deeply researched commentary and analysis. The perfect accompaniment to; say; Robert K. Massie's biography Catherine the Great. Don't wait as long as I did to read it!7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful peak at the past!By Frederick R. AndresenWhat a wonderful book! A wonderful peak at a past that will never come again. Chekhov could not have done it any better. I lived in Russia for six years and visited many of these wonderful estates; a hint of the aristocracy and landed gentry life of the 17th and 18th centuries: Ostankino; Kuskovo; Arkhangelskoe; others; so much beauty. Ms. Roosevelt captures the perfect architecture; the colorful gardens; the jeweled ballrooms and theaters. Plus; her writing is not only informative and accurate; but entertaining. You feel like you are looking out from a gilded frame on the painted parlor wall. This book deserves a permanent place in a cultured family's library.Frederick R. Andresen; Author of "Walking on Ice; An American Businessman in Russia."
