Critically exploring the presuppositions of contemporary social theory, this collection argues for a trans-civilizational dialogue and a deepening of the universe of intellectual discourse in order to transform sociology into a truly planetary conversation on the human condition.

Social Theory and Asian Dialogues: An Introduction and an InvitationPart One: Theorizing as Dancing Transformations: Social Theory, Asian Dialogues and BeyondSocial Theory and Asian Dialogues: Cultivating Planetary ConversationsTheorizing Alternative Futures of Asia: Activating Enabling TraditionsCritical Theory after the Rise of the Global SouthBeyond Ethnocentrism: Towards a Global Social TheoryPart Two: Social Theory and Asian Dialogues: Creative Engagement and Transformative LearningSelfhood and Morality: East-Asian and Western DimensionsIridescent Self in the Womb of the Wholly M(O)ther:  A Vajrayani MeditationThe Taijitu, Western Dialectics, and Brain Hemisphere Function: A Dialogue facilitated by the Scholarship of Complex IntegrationA Middle Way of Emptying Dualism in Social TheoryIndo-Chinese Knowledge and Wisdom: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Between Confucius and TiruvalluvarDancing East and West: Charting Intercultural Possibilities in the Thought of Gilles Deleuze and Prabhat Ranjan SarkarThe Micropolitics and Metaphysics of Mobility and Nomadism: A Comparative Study of Rahul Sankrityayan’s ‘GhumakkaṚ ŚĀatra’ and Gilles Deleuze / FÉlix Guattari’s ‘Nomadology’From Ecological Ontology to Social Ecology: John Dewey, Radhakamal Mukerjee, and Interscalar EthicsPart Three: Social Theory and Asian Dialogues: Asia, Europe and the Call of Planetary ConversionsNature, Culture and the Debate With Modernity: Critical Social Theory in JapanThe Self-Description of Society in East Asia: If It is Not Society, What Else Could it Be?An Intercultural Perspective on Chinese AestheticsMaking Sociology Universal: Revisiting the Contributions of Syed Hussein AlatasPolitical Intrusion in Social Science: The Elimination of Leftist Critical Thinking in IndonesiaSocial Welfare and Harmony in East Asia and the Nordic RegionCritical Theory and Communicative Action: The Challenge of Legitimation in a World at RiskThe Gift of the Grain: Beyond Biopolitics?Democracy and Meritocracy: A New Inter-Civilizational ChallengeAfterword: Communication and the Consilience of Eastern and Western Ideas.

Critically exploring the presuppositions of contemporary social theory, this collection argues for a trans-civilizational dialogue and a deepening of the universe of intellectual discourse in order to transform sociology into a truly planetary conversation on the human condition. Focusing on perspectives from Asia, notably East Asia and India, it interrogates presuppositions in contemporary critical social theory about man, culture and society, and considers central themes such as knowledge and power, knowledge and liberation. The diverse contributions tackle key questions such the globalization of social theory, identity and society in east asia, as well as issues such as biopolitics, social welfare and eurocentrism. They also examine dialogues along multiple trajectories between social theorists from the Euro-American world and from the Asian universe, such as between Kant and Gandhi, Habermas and Sri Aurobindo, the Bildung tradition in Europe and the Confucian traditions. Arguing for a global comparative engagement and cross-cultural dialogue, this is a key read for all those interested in the future of social theory in the wake of globalization and the rise of the global south.

Addresses the euro-centric bias of classical and contemporary social theoryArgues for a transcending of the self-certainties and partial truths of East and West in a global engagement of the intellectual communityOffers a trans-national and comparative approach on ethics and social action in considering the future of social theory