________________
A Historian of Culture Looks at Contemporary India
/ 151
experience. This leads to the crucial question about the nature of historical experience and its consequence. The issue really is whether a historical experience is repeatable or is it unique? (A) Is it that certain attitudes get ingrained in a culture/civilization by a unique combination of several factors? (B) If certain attitudes are culture/civilization specific then these can not be transmitted to outsiders. On that score if the Modern is a synonym of the Western, modernity can not be transmitted to the nonWestern. Thus unless the Western is demonstrated to be actually global in character, the modernify con not be regarded as coterminous with the Western. And, if the Western is actually global then it is no longer just Western because it goes beyond the West. (C) If the experiences of the last few decades are any indication, the hope of a uniform Westernized globalization appears to be rather dim. The most noticeable feature of the last few decades seems to be the growing tide of increasing ethnicity. To me, this growing ethnic consciousness appears to be the inevitable consequence of the forces released by the rise of nationalism and the misplaced importance given to the notion of nation-states. The insatiable appetites of the nation-state for more and more space in all walks of life of the individuals as well as its tendency to trample over all other senses of belonging and loyalty are creating a feeling of ennui and hostility against it. This feeling often finds expression in aggressive ethnic consciousness. We may perhaps look towards certain aspects of traditional Indian culture and outlook for possible answers to some of the problems facing contemporary India and the world.
