Publisher's Synopsis
Review extracts 'The Oppressive Present is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on colonialism in India in which Ashis Nandy, Partha Chatterjee and Nirad Choudhari have figured prominently, but Sudhir Chandra too has not failed to create a discourse other than the imperialist one.' Sunday Herald, Bangalore 'In a cute monograph, Sudhir Chandra gives...a sharper focus and a more cutting edge.' Sham Lal, The Times of India 'In this erudite monograph, Professor Sudhir Chandra unravels the process of the formation of social consciousness in the late nineteenth century in India through a meticulous discussion of literary works in several languages.' The Financial Express 'Sudhir Chandra, whose eminence as a scholar is evident in his work... has chosen to understand the dominant structure of social consciousness in modern India by tracing patterns of synchrony in the face of obvious diachrony.' Independent 'Certainly, a work of fair lucidity and undoubted scholarship in comprehending and relating to one of the most sensitive issues of our time'. The Economic Times
