Agrarian Bengal: Economy, Social Structure and Politics, 1919-1947

Cambridge South Asian Studies

by Sugata Bose

As well as being an outstanding contribution to Indian economic and social history, this book draws important conclusions about peasant politics in general and about the effects of international economic fluctuations on primary producing countries. Dr Bose develops a general typology of systems of agrarian production in Bengal to show how these responded to different types of pressure from the world economy, and treats in detail the effects of the world Depression on Bengal. Separate chapters are devoted to the themes of agrarian conflict and religious strife in east Bengal, the agrarian dimension of mass nationalism in west Bengal and sharecroppers agitations in the frontier regions. The conclusion attempts a synthesis of the typology of agrarian social structure and the periodisation of peasant politics, placing this in the wider context of agrarian societies and protest in other parts of India and in South-east Asia.

Genres: History

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 1987

About the author

Sugata Bose is the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University.
He was born in Calcutta, India. He studied at the Presidency College, Kolkata. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge under Eric Stokes. He is the grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and grandson of Nationalist leader Sarat Chandra Bose.
He is the author of several books on the economic, social and political history of modern South Asia, and has pioneered work in historical studies emphasizing the centrality of the Indian Ocean. He is heading the mentors' group for revival of Presidency College.
He is married to Ayesha Jalal, a prominent Pakistani historian.

Reviews

[Benjamin Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard going in the middle, but come on - everything you wanted to know about agrarian Bengal but were afraid to ask. Last two chapters are clutch. Read it alongside Chris Baker's book on the Tamilnad countryside and you'll know more about early twentieth century agrarian politics than any of your friends or neighbors.