Synopsis This volume, dedicated to the theme of “rethinking modernity” of the Jaipur Conference (2003) of the Forum on Contemporary Theory, looks back on the Western project of modernity and its transformation through ages from multi-disciplinary perspectives. As an identity-marker of the West, the idea of modernity continues to excite and provoke literary scholars, philosophers, political theorists, social critics and art historians in strangely ambivalent ways. The volume addresses modernity’s multi-faceted configurations: in literary and visual representations, in political culture and practice; in philosophical reflections; in sociological thinking; and in technological revolution. Its linkage with colonial processes has given it a distinctive character in the third world context. The volume is a timely reflection on this dominant western paradigm, which has influenced thinking all over the world in diverse ways. It provides useful material for research h scholars and students of such disciplines as literature, history, philosophy, politics, art history and social thought.