Alternative Modernities

“This volume examines phenomena as diverse as legal controversies over the definition of Aboriginal heritage in Australia, modernist architecture in Brazil, and the ideology of citizenship in Mexico, with a view to elaborating the dialectic of sameness and difference in a variety of cultural and national experiences of modernity from the middle of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth. Within the limits of this paradigm, the contributors offer numerous rich and careful readings of texts, practices, and ideologies that form a welcome addition to discourses of modernity that remain focused on London, Paris, and New York. . . . Alternative Modernities adds a wealth of comparative detail about a wide variety of societies over the last two centuries to the continuing discourse of modernity, helping to expand and refine this discourse through the careful accumulation of close readings. It will prove an important resource for scholars in cultural studies, urban and architectural history, anthropology, and literature who are eager to incorporate a comparative dimension in their work.” - Alexander Des Forges , Journal of Asian Studies

"Gaonkar has rendered valuable service in bringing these scholars together in a single volume." - John Xiros Cooper , Canadian Literature

“Creative and vitally important. The authors don’t just note that modernity is more than a single, homogenous thing, they explore the fissures and fault lines and assess the implications for both scholarly understanding and public discourse. In doing so, they offer a hopeful and intellectually supple alternative to the often repackaged notion of a ‘clash of
civilizations.’ ” - Craig Calhoun, President, Social Science Research Council

“If ‘modernity’ is an invention of the North Atlantic, then so is the desire to escape, negate or transcend it. Going forward would seem to demand that we critically imagine the possibilities of alternative modernities. There is no question more important for cultural studies, or for progressive politics. This volume is a major contribution to this project. It needs to be read and extended.” - Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill