The Integral Nature of Things: Critical Reflections on the Present is a collection of essays, poems and vignettes that attempts to rethink Enlightenment discourses, and how we understand the post-Industrial period. Lata Mani's work is part of a broader critique of neoliberal globalisation that draws on political economy, but focuses more on its cultural logic. Her work addresses a range of questions, including how we tackle the massive ecological and social disruptions caused by globalisation through questions of culture, how we are being formed as subjects in the post-liberalisation era, and what language we use while criticising such developments.
This book is a crucial intervention at a time when critics of globalisation, and those in India who identify themselves as broadly left-leaning, are struggling with questions of how to approach the onslaught of this process, which has accelerated greatly since the nineties. This period also saw a peak in the power and influence of religious fundamentalism in India, a development that led to many progressive activists and intellectuals consciously distancing themselves from religious and spiritual traditions. More than twenty years down the line, there is an increasing openness to reclaiming these traditions in order to counter the influence of both religious extremism and the impact of globalisation.
The methodology used is a mixture of observation, speculation and argument, interweaving poetry, essay and review material – all enhancing the reader's sensory experience through their varied textures. But what most informs Mani's writing and methodology is personal experience. She explains that her subject only became tangible to her after she sustained a head injury in 1993. This injury has also determined the form of her writing: Turning away from a more formal academic style, she uses short stories, narratives and descriptions to unsettle grand discourses and received wisdom. Mani was part of the faculty of Women's Studies at the University of California in 1990, and held this position until her injury inaugurated a new intellectual phase.
Organising principles
The central theme of The Integral Nature of Things is the recognition of interdependency as a root concern, our failure to recognise the webs of interrelations in which all things assume shape, texture, and form. As Mani describes it, this would involve us "… taking our place in the world, not merely staking our claim upon it". This, in turn, involves us recognising the significance of collective modes of knowledge and the possibilities provided by reciprocal and non-hierarchical relationships that have gradually given way to a disaggregated and vertical system of relations. Mani's juxtaposition of the term "interwovenness" with the oft-repeated need for "intersectionality" in politics adds an important dimension to our understanding of inclusive politics. Justice, then, is not only about law and politics, but interconnectedness, commonalities and addressing the alienation we feel from our bodies. It is about honouring the triadic fluidity of heart, mind and body, and most importantly, recognising diversity as an organising principle of life.