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Rabindranath Tagore experimented with co-operatives as part of his commitment to the ethic of co-operation that, he believed, could rescue the world from self-destructive competition. Co-operatives were an important part of the program of rural reconstruction at Sriniketan, a part of Viswabharati. Tagore's co-operatives seek to activate a social ethic that can establish symmetrical relationships within and between the global, national, and local. They impinge on the desire for a substantive culture of democracy. Tagore's efforts are undertaken as part of a global network of ideas and practices, especially those formed in Ireland. Sriniketan gives practical shape to this co-operative program and in doing so, runs into problems. These are actually profound dilemmas that have major implications for an alternate vision of a shared world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]