Kalima, the translation initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, published the Arabic translation of the book "Habitations of Modernity: Essays in the Wake of Subaltern Studies" written by Dipesh Chakrabarty.

What do the intellectuals of the Third World make of the obstacles to modernity in their country? What are the common problems faced by post-modern anthropologists and historians in these countries? Can post-colonial modernity be reached? And could it overcome the errors created by the type of modernity introduced by post-European Enlightenment? The author poses these questions whilst examining the experiences of the Third World, particularly the sectarian war that erupted as a result of linguistic, religious and cultural pluralism. The book looks at the way in which the first white colonialists viewed the Third World, and examines the sectarian violence that came about as a result of a combination of both humanity and inhumanity.

Chakrabarty pursues the idea of resettling modernity. The grave disparity that exists between the follower, a simple man marginalized in his traditional vision, and the intellectual, who adopts the vision of the transcendent European Enlightenment, becomes clear in this book.

The author suggests to readers the possibility of a different modernity; one that respects local traditions, builds upon them, and is open to new human visions. It is a modernity that is not a slave to the principles of European Enlightenment, but instead is what the author refers to as "post-colonial modernity." Dipesh Chakrabarty is Professor in History, South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Among his works are: "Rethinking Working-Class History: Bengal, 1890-1940" and "Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference." The book has been translated by Dr. Moujib Al-Rahman, who is an associate professor of the Arabic Language and Literature Department in Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

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