This edited volume brings together scholars and practitioners to explore how indigenous wisdom, community practices, and social solidarity can offer meaningful alternatives to the dominant models of individualistic and market-driven development. At a time when societies across the globe are struggling with polarization and loss of trust, this book reminds us that well-being is deeply relational—it is rooted in interdependence, care, and shared responsibility.
Beyond Individual Success: The Meaning of Collective Flourishing
The idea of “collective flourishing” challenges the narrow understanding of progress measured solely through economic growth or individual achievement. Instead, it invites us to ask deeper questions: Are communities resilient? Do people feel connected, valued, and safe? Are cultural traditions and social bonds being nurtured rather than eroded?
The contributors to this volume argue that genuine well-being emerges when communities are empowered to shape their own futures. Drawing from Indian cultural traditions, indigenous knowledge systems, and lived community experiences, the book presents frameworks where development is not imposed from above but grows organically from within.
As Prof. Shalini Bharat (former Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences) notes, the book offers “concepts and practices to help build and nourish communities and societies,” emphasizing environments and eco-systems in which communities can thrive together.
Bridging Indigenous Wisdom and Contemporary Challenges
One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to bridge ancient wisdom with modern realities. India’s diverse traditions have long emphasized coexistence, mutual care, and harmony between humans and nature. Yet, these values are often sidelined in contemporary policy and practice.
This volume demonstrates how indigenous models of cooperation, community decision-making, and cultural rootedness can address present-day challenges such as social exclusion, gender inequality, conflict, and environmental degradation. Rather than romanticizing tradition, the contributors critically engage with it—showing how these systems can be adapted to today’s complex social contexts.
Prof. Neera Agnimitra from the University of Delhi rightly describes the book as “a call to action for a deeper, more interconnected way of living,” one that counters the isolation and fragmentation characteristic of modern life.
Practice, Policy, and People
What makes Collective Flourishing in India particularly relevant is its grounding in real-world practice. The case studies presented in the book offer valuable insights for students, social workers, policymakers, and grassroots practitioners alike. They show how community-led initiatives—especially those centered on women, marginalized groups, and conflict-affected populations—can foster resilience and dignity.
As someone who has spent decades working with marginalized communities, I found the book’s emphasis on lived experience especially compelling. The chapters demonstrate that sustainable social change does not come from top-down interventions alone, but from strengthening the capacities, voices, and solidarities of communities themselves.
Why This Book Matters Today
In an era marked by deep inequalities and shrinking civic spaces, the message of this book is both radical and necessary: human flourishing cannot be selective. It must be inclusive, collective, and grounded in justice.
The vision of collective flourishing reminds us that societies are strongest not when a few prosper, but when everyone has the opportunity to live with dignity, purpose, and connection. It calls upon us—academics, activists, policymakers, and citizens—to rethink development, re-center community well-being, and reclaim the ethics of care and solidarity.
A Concluding Reflection
Collective Flourishing in India is more than an academic contribution; it is a moral and social invitation. It urges us to move beyond fragmented approaches to well-being and to imagine futures built on cooperation, cultural rootedness, and shared humanity.
In a fragmented world, this book offers a powerful reminder: when communities flourish together, societies heal—and hope becomes possible again.
— Lenin Raghuvanshi
