BOOK REVIEW 105 the 1935 Government of India Act, in initiating a process which not only assimilates disparate ethnic communities into the mainstream but also provides them with adequate opportunities to develop their unique socio-cultural values. The collection is a commendable effort towards grasping the complex Indian social anc political reality. The editors deserve appreciation for having collected well-researched articles by eminent social scientists who, by concentrating on different various Indian states, have explored new areas of inquiry to understand shifts and twists in a transitional society. As India is a society governed predominantly by traditional forces, but introduced to a completely alien value system in the wake of colonialism, what is necessary is to identify the linkages which appear crucial either in absorbing or rejecting the foreign influences. Both the volumes striving to offer alternative explanations, will therefore be useful to scholars for its rich details and interesting theoretical cues which are certainly welcome in the light of the available stereotype analysis of India's socio-political and economic reality. BIDYUT CHAKRABARTY Department of Political Science Delhi University