Public Faces, Private Lives Community and Individuality in South India [Paperback]

Individuality is often viewed as an exclusively Western value. In non-Western societies, collective identities seem to eclipse those of individuals. These generalities, however, have overlooked the importance of personal uniqueness, volition, and achievement in these cultures. As an anthropologist in Tamil Nadu, South India, Mattison Mines found private and public expressions of self in all sectors of society. Based on his twenty-five years of field research,Public Faces, Private Voicesweaves together personal life stories, historical description, and theoretical analysis to define individuality in South Asia and to distinguish it from its Western counterpart.

This engaging and controversial book will be of great interest to scholars and students working in anthropology, psychology, sociology, South Asian history, urban studies, and political science.

Mattison Minesis Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of theThe Warrior Merchants: Textiles, Trade, and Territory in South India(1984).