Table of Contents

Endorsements

About the Book

About the Author

Epigraphs

Books by the Same Author

Preface

Prologue

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Ideology, Social Contract, and Civil Development

Chapter 2. Inequality and Racism in America

Chapter 3. Deconstruction of Social Contract

Chapter 4. The Pandemic Paroxysms: Meltdown, Hope, and Economy

Chapter 5. Existential Angst and the Plague

Chapter 6. The Art of Reason

Chapter 7. Coloniality and Oppression

Chapter 8. Dialectic of Ambedkar’s Praxis

Epilogue

Index

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Book Reviews

“Renowned scholar, Brij Mohan, is yet again at the forefront of contemporary issues in shaping a new society. Known for his critical and provocative thinking and outspokenness against injustices, he challenges the status quo of dysfunctional societies and institutional collapse. He proposes a new social contract and enlightenment that restore hope for a post-pandemic society where people have rediscovered their purpose in life. His wealth of knowledge and expertise is evident in his authoritative speaking on a new social contract that will contribute to a more just and sustainable society.” – Antoinette Lombard, Department of Social Work & Criminology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

“I always expect the best from Brij Mohan, and he always delivers. His prescient critique of the Great Society is a riveting reminder of our hubris and heresies. Search for a utopian civil society is a product of Brij Mohan’s Chekhovian imagination, which he finds globally shattered by ugly realities.” – Nayan Kanwal, Professor & Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Social Sciences and Artistic Innovations (IJSSAI), Singapore

“Social work’s philosophical maestro leads us through a sobering symphony of “institutional meltdown” of our social contract. While debilitating institutional dysfunctions in concert hit their notes to synchronize a broken society in the author’s acute unpacking of the historical erosion of American promises, he brilliantly brings readers out of despair with the post-pandemic hope of the rediscovery and reconstruction of society through social praxis and transformation. This book is a must-read for all contemporary critical thinkers and doers of social-human development who will lead our society to the “rediscovered” land of social, economic, and political freedom for all.” – Philip Hong, Professor, Loyola University Chicago

“It is clear that a reckoning is underway. After writing over twenty books on the topic, it is evident to [sic] Mohan that the current path of global social development is approaching a dead end. This book-length critique of the status quo opens a dialogue about the viability of alternate paths to sustainable and democratic models of social development that restore Enlightenment values.” – Mark W. Lusk, Professor Emeritus, IFSW Human Rights Commissioner, Department of Social Work, The University of Texas at El Paso

“Almost all political and social philosophers from Plato to Marx and beyond have dealt with various problems emanating from society in various countries with varied situations over centuries. Brij Mohan, a social analyst, theorist, and scientist has based his empirical work on two premises—that democracy is dying and there is an urgent need for a new social contract since our social institutions are faltering. The author has also used a political-historical approach to prove his point. He has discussed a case study of American and Indian societies and related them to various variables—state’s delivery of goods is the largesse trickling down to the poorest of poor, citizens facing xenophobia, oppression of various types, alienation, and so on. It is because of “fractured democratic institutions” that the post-pandemic issues began to threaten human survival. This led to economic drain at individual and state levels, fear of inequality, injustice, and a fall of economic freedom…The book was a wonderful read.” Read more here >>> – Priti Nath, Associate Professor of Political Science, Government Post Graduate College, Panchkula (affiliated to Kurukshetra University), India

“The book is indeed a good piece of work which opens a dialogue about the possibility of alternate pathways to sustainable models of social development. In fact, this book is relevant and a ‘must read’ for all the educators, practitioners and scholars of social sciences who are interested to lead our society to bring about social change for social and human development in the post-pandemic situation.” Read more here >>> – Atul Pratap Singh, Professor, Department of Social Work, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India