The Two Sovereigns - Social Contradictions of European Modernity (Hardcover)

This book examines modernity through the prism of the two sovereigns - of the individual and collectivity. The book attempts to provide a stimulating meditation on the difficult and contradictory experiences of European modernity. It uses the collapse of communism in Eastern and central Europe to explore why the institutions and narratives of modernity found it so difficult to deal with problems like the meaning of freedom, the role and status of intellectuals and the legacy of the past. The author argues that the central question of modernity is how the world can be made a better place and that this question remains relevant and that it has never been definitively answered. This book should be of interest to undergraduates and postgraduates in the fields of sociology, political science and philosophy.