Written on the occasion of its 50th anniversary at the international level, this book seeks an understanding of the program in India and the larger world of cultural exchange. Focusing on the problem areas of exchange activity when nations are uneven in political and economic power, the book raises important questions:

• How does the Fulbright experience help (or hinder) our identity formation?

• How do the insights of post-colonial thinkers contribute to our understanding of cross-cultural exchange?

• How can we re-define the underlying ideals of the Fulbright Program as we face newer challenges of the post-Cold War era?

Seen through the eyes of sixteen outstanding scholars, many of them heading prestigious national institutions in India, the book relates the Fulbright experience with issues of nation building.

For the first time in the Fulbright history in India the book attempts a cultural study of the program’s impact by examining Indo-American policy statements, grantee documents, some rare archival material such as the Olive Reddick collection and extensive interviews of scholars throughout India by the Editor. The book eschews a facile celebratory tone while affirming the continued validity of the Fulbright ideal for India, America and the world.