This eclectic collection of essays is embedded in both the past and present of the region's complex interface with modernity. It is pertinent to note that despite the postmodernist critiques of the abstract notion of the term modern, modernity continues to be relevant for an understanding of contemporary social processes. Apart from theoretical debates, 'modernity' as a process and value system as well as a contrast to 'tradition' offers multiple interpretative possibilities which are deeply manifested in the everyday experience of the self and community.