This book investigates the deeper area of class antagonism between the privileged and underprivileged classes as they faced the colonial state and its different ideas of legality and sovereignty in colonial Bengal. It examines the ambiguity in the bhadralok—the educated middle class— response to courts and jails. The author argues that the discourse of superior ‘bhadralok’ ethics and morals was juxtaposed against the ‘chhotolok’—who were devoid of such ethical values. This enabled the bhadralok to claim for themselves the position of the ‘aware’ legal subject as a class—a ‘good’ subject obedient to the dictates of the new rule of law, unlike the recalcitrant and ethically ill-equipped chhotolok. The author underlines the development of a new cultural language of morality that delineated the parameters of bhadralok public behaviour. As the ‘rule of law’ of the British government slid unobtrusively into the public domain, the criminal courts and the jails turned into public theatres of infamy—spaces that the ethically bound bhadralok dreaded occupying. The volume, thus, documents how the colonial legal and penal institutions streamlined the identities of some sections of the lower castes into ‘criminal caste’. It also examines the nature of colonial bureaucracy and highlights the social silence on gender and women's criminality.
This book examines the impact of Partition on refugees in East and Northeast India and their struggle for identity, space and political rights. In the wake of the legalisation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, this region remains a hotbed of identity and refugee politics. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth fieldwork, this book discusses themes of displacement, rehabilitation, discrimination and politicisation of refugees that preceded and followed the Partition of India in 1947. It portrays the crises experienced by refugees in recreating the socio-cultural milieu of the lost motherland and the consequent loss of their linguistic, cultural, economic and ethnic identities. The author also studies how the presence of the refugees shaped the conduct of politics in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura in the decades following Partition. Refugees, Borders and Identities will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of refugee studies, border studies, South Asian history, migration studies, Partition studies, sociology, anthropology, political studies, international relations and refugee studies, and for general readers of modern Indian history.
This book re-examines 'everyday resistance', gender and power through the lens of women's experiences in colonial South Asia. Moving away from educated and outstanding figures and drawing on a range of unconventional sources, it unearths a narrative of deep and enduring resistance offered by less extraordinary women in their daily lives.
This book investigates the deeper area of class antagonism between the privileged and underprivileged classes as they faced the colonial state and its different ideas of legality and sovereignty in colonial Bengal. It examines the ambiguity in the bhadralok—the educated middle class— response to courts and jails. The author argues that the discourse of superior ‘bhadralok’ ethics and morals was juxtaposed against the ‘chhotolok’—who were devoid of such ethical values. This enabled the bhadralok to claim for themselves the position of the ‘aware’ legal subject as a class—a ‘good’ subject obedient to the dictates of the new rule of law, unlike the recalcitrant and ethically ill-equipped chhotolok. The author underlines the development of a new cultural language of morality that delineated the parameters of bhadralok public behaviour. As the ‘rule of law’ of the British government slid unobtrusively into the public domain, the criminal courts and the jails turned into public theatres of infamy—spaces that the ethically bound bhadralok dreaded occupying. The volume, thus, documents how the colonial legal and penal institutions streamlined the identities of some sections of the lower castes into ‘criminal caste’. It also examines the nature of colonial bureaucracy and highlights the social silence on gender and women's criminality.
This book examines the impact of Partition on refugees in East and Northeast India and their struggle for identity, space and political rights. In the wake of the legalisation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, this region remains a hotbed of identity and refugee politics. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth fieldwork, this book discusses themes of displacement, rehabilitation, discrimination and politicisation of refugees that preceded and followed the Partition of India in 1947. It portrays the crises experienced by refugees in recreating the socio-cultural milieu of the lost motherland and the consequent loss of their linguistic, cultural, economic and ethnic identities. The author also studies how the presence of the refugees shaped the conduct of politics in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura in the decades following Partition. Refugees, Borders and Identities will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of refugee studies, border studies, South Asian history, migration studies, Partition studies, sociology, anthropology, political studies, international relations and refugee studies, and for general readers of modern Indian history.
Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh Bakshi, and Feluda: Negotiating the Center and the Periphery presents a postcolonial reading of Conan Doyle’s canonical detective texts—Sherlock Holmes adventures, and some lesser known detective texts written by two Bengali (Indian) writers—Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay (1899-1970), and Satyajit Ray (1921-1992). The book proposes that in a postcolonial reading situation, the representation of Holmes problematizes the act of reading and also the act and discourse of inquiry. The fact that the Holmes adventures contribute to the hegemonic culture of “Anglo/Eurocentrism” is seen as a reinforcement of racial superiority among the “colonized.” This book studies how literary texts function as a signifier of a particular national identity, and can indicate the cultural construct of a state. It contends that only those texts which cater to the standards of global hierarchy are considered canonical, and indigenous texts, however significant, remain as "Other" literature. The book highlights colonial and postcolonial discourse in the Bengali detective texts and examines, how far Holmes has been able to reinforce racial dominance over the Indian detectives Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda.
Addressing the complex interrelationships between city making and the resources needed for its production, Predatory Urbanism explores the link between urbanization and resources in the global South. It particularly focuses on urban megaprojects, highlighting these planned developments and re-developments carried out by the state or state-linked agencies.
As commercial surrogacy in India dominates public conversations around reproduction, new kinds of families, and changing trends in globalization, its lived realities become an important aspect of emerging research. This book maps the way in which in vitro fertilization (IVF) specialists, surrogacy agents, commissioning couples, surrogate mothers, and egg donors contribute to the understanding of interpersonal relations in the process of commercial surrogacy. In this book, Majumdar draws from a context that is enmeshed in the local–global politics of reproduction, including the ways in which the transnational commercial surrogacy arrangement has led to an ongoing debate regarding ethics and morality in the sphere of reproductive rights. In weaving together the diverse, often conflicting experiences of individuals and families, the transnational commercial surrogacy arrangement comes alive as a process mirroring larger societal anxieties with reference to technological interventions in intimate relationships. It is these anxieties, dilemmas, and their negotiations to which the book is addressed.
The objective of the book is to document best practices in managing the major irrigation canal systems to maximise the benefits to farmers in terms of increase in utilization of irrigation potential created under the major irrigation projects. The main emphasis on how best we can manage local canal systems to increase farmers incomes in a sustainable way in a multi-stakeholder perspectives which include farmers, water users associations, irrigation department officials, agricultural officers and local non-governmental organisations involved in farmers welfare.
There was a doctor who had a beautiful wife, cute daughter they all love each other, but one day in an unnatural event (public universally call it an accident) daughter and wife died. Two years later, police caught that fellow as the most brutal serial killer of India My father who is an Honorable Judge awarded him death sentence and like every Indian I also wants gallows for him. But now my father is asking me to file a petition in Supreme Court to save him. I denied absolutely, not only for the reason that I was preparing for LLM from the University of Chicago, rather I want every criminal to be punished to the maximum. However, that wasnt my destiny! God wants something different from me.. Would you like to be the part of my journey? Dont forget to bring tissues, though they cant prevent tears at least absorb them! Simran Malik
“words breathe in silence” has been created with the stories that Anindita Bose has observed in life. Many of the ideas have been from the human world itself, with an open window to look at society differently or to accept the stories that are part of our own destiny. The purpose of this book is to begin a journey in which she can create more paths for herself and the people; the paths which perhaps will lead us all to connect together and look at life with more curiosity and zeal. “Each story is fueled by a refined knowledge of magical wisdom. Bose shows man in his reckless struggle with fate.” - Anne Vegter, (former) Poet Laureate of the Netherlands “I noticed in the society how the women are given chances to bloom only to be crushed repeatedly,” writes Anindita Bose in one of these stories in which she combines attention to daily life with another dimension that seems to come from a soul who is many years older than she actually is.” - Franca Mancinelli Fano, Italy
How does a 40+ young man bring up his dad? What happens when a strictly vegetarian Tam-Brahm marries a strictly non-vegetarian Bengali? Can the years vanish when Ruhani returns to the same place to relive a moment frozen decades ago? The short stories here are not about some other world and other people. It is about you and me. Who knows, you may find yourself in the book!
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