Description
Book SynopsisThe decade of the 1940s was a turbulent one for Bengal. War, famine, riots and partition - Bengal witnessed it all, and the unique experience of each of these factors created a space for diverse social and political forces to thrive and impact the lives of people of the province. The book embarks on a study of the last seven years of colonial rule in Bengal, analysing the interplay of multiple socioeconomic and political factors that shaped community identities into communal ones. The focus is on three major communal riots that the province witnessed - the Dacca Riots (1941), the Great Calcutta Killings (August 1946) and the Noakhali Riots (October 1946). This book moves beyond the binary understanding of communalism as Hindu versus Muslim and looks at the caste politics in the province, and offers a complete understanding of the 1940s before partition.
Table of ContentsList of maps; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The Dacca Riot, 1941; 2. Famine 1943 – towards a hardening of community identities; 3. From community to communal: the Bengal Secondary Education Bill and the idea of Pakistan; 4. The Great Calcutta Killing, August 1946; 5. Noakhali Riots, October 1946; 6. A test of faith: Gandhi in Noakhali and Calcutta, 1946–47; Concluding remarks; Glossary; Appendix 1; Appendix 2; Appendix 3; Appendix 4; Bibliography; Index.
