This book attempts to give in one volume the significant writing from the large bulk of Literature on various aspects of Indian rural society. The aim is to provide various view points of the diverse methods and techniques adopted to study the different domains of rural society and to portray the multi-sided and complex rural society as is emerging from these studies.

The present edition like the earlier ones is composed of two parts. The first part, which gives an outline of Rural society as viewed by the author, Prof.A.R. Desai, is retained as in the previous editions. The second part considerably altered and expand, is comprised of the following 16 sections. Introductory, Regional, Historical, Indian Village community; Tribes in Transition Unrest; Land Reform; Co-operation; Rural Industries and Village Institution; Rural Industries; Panchayati Raj; Community Development Projects; Bhoodan and Gramdan Movement; Rural Society in Transition; Village studies in India; Theory of Agrarian Development. The reading provide considerable amount of factual information on various aspects of Indian rural society and also contain discussion on some of the most controversial issues connected with the Indian Agrarian Social system. A new section on theories of Agrarian Development is a novel feature in his volume.

The selections embodies in this section provide the crucial theoretical projection about future of not merely agrarian social order but of the underdevelopment of the country as a whole. The reading chosen in this volume are from some of the most prominent authorities. This revised edition will undoubtedly help the students to understand the drama of Indian rural life and stimulate their interest to undertake further studies on this subject.

Dr. A .R. Desai, former Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology, University of Bombay, won scholarly recognition with his book Social Background of Indian Nationalism first published in 1948. he is a founder Member and was the President of the Indian Sociological Society from 1978 to 1980. He was Associate DirectorUNESCO project on Group Tensions in India held in 1951 under the direction of Dr. Gardner Murphy.

He participated in the First World Congress in Rural Sociology held in France in 1964 and was invited to give talks in several European countries. He was National Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research from 1981-1983. Its is also to his credit that he has completed 18 volume Source Book of Labour Movement in India During British Period sponsored by Indian Council of Historical Research and now being published by Popular Prakashan.