CULTURE, SPACE AND THE NATION-STATE By Dipankar Gupta, Sage, Rs 445 The chief concerns of anthropology is usually understood to be the study of kinship, village life, caste observances, rituals and so on. In Culture, Space and the Nation-State, Dipankar Gupta extends the scope of anthropology to the domain of the nation-state. Gupta begins with a conceptual treatment of the nation-state, with 'culture' as a tool for analysis. He moves from sentiments about the nation-state to the structures that bind them and make the nation-state endure. The 'nation' is primarily a sentiment on which the structures of the state aspire to organize a cultural life. According to the author, a nation-state is not just about politics or governance. They influence our awareness about who we are as people and our relationship with culture. Culture is better understood, if examined in terms of 'root metaphors' and their regnant set of meanings, argues Gupta. Root metaphors are multi-vocal and sacred - they have no single, unified rendition. They address diverse aspects of socio-political life. Root metaphors have the allegiance of a defined set of people. However, there are several root metaphors in every culture because human beings are multi-dimensional in their social interactions. Gupta refers to this feature as the multi-vocal regnant set of meanings of root metaphors. The regnant set gives us a perspective on culture which neither focusses on the individual nor on consensus. It covers multiple facets of life due to the various locations of the actors and groups in a society. But, root metaphors are not only about solidarity and bonding but also about cultural conflict, dissent and struggles over authority. Each nation-state has its own root metaphor, culture, membership and defined space. These have the ability to transcend locality and enable long-distance communication. The root metaphors of the Indian nation-state are anti-colonialism, freedom, equality, protection of minorities, liberal democracy and anti-Pakistan feelings, according to the author. The root metaphors bring into the nation-state a moral consensus, which, in the ultimate analysis, sidelines local cultures. The positive aspect of this is increased national, cultural homogeneity, a greater degree of inter-subjectivity and the creation of a public sphere. The public sphere emerges because the rules of arriving at an 'achieved understanding' are agreed upon by the members of the nation. What kind of understanding gains primacy, is a matter of politics, and, once that is settled, other agencies of the nation-state like the government, law, civil society, bureaucracy come into the scene. Gupta conceptualizes nation-states on the basis of the twin phenomena of sentiment and structure. First, nation-states are bound by strong sentiments of cultural identity. Second, these sentiments need to be buttressed by structures of governance for greater acceptability among the people. In this book, the author offers fresh insights and analytical tools to examine a much-contested subject - the nation-state.