Political Science and Social Sciences

What is it about?

The contemporary social science academia has been continuously experiencing the emergence of interdisciplinary concerns, cutting across the edge of disciplinary relevance. The institutions of higher learning are increasingly focusing on interdisciplinary courses, particularly at the post-graduate level. The recently established central universities and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) are some of the relevant examples in this context. These institutions are disseminating classroom teaching and conducting research on issues that blend the concerns of different disciplines, and that essentially go beyond the disciplinary boundary of a particular kind. However, some of the social sciences, such as political science, appear to be losing their relevance over the period. Against this backdrop, this note attempts to gauge the contemporary relevance of political science in terms of its relation- ship with other social sciences. The note draws on my experience of teaching political science in a social science institute–the TISS, Guwahati. However, the issues and contexts discussed here are relevant for the wider community of students of political science and other social sciences.

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