Edited and with an introduction by Professor Habib, 'Confronting Colonialism' is a series of essays commemorating the second centenary of Tipu's final battle against the British at Sriranagapatnam in 1799. The essays, devoted to the history of Mysore under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, underscore the need to defend the memory of two rulers, who were indomitable opponents of the colonial regime; they also emphasize the centrality of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan in Indian nationalist historiography. This collection is of particular importance, especially in light of the recent tendency to...

This volume brings together, for the first time, several of Professor Habib's essays, representing three decades of scholarship and providing an insightful interpretation of the main currents in Indian history from the standpoint of Marxist historiography. The collection examines the role played by the peasantry and caste in Indian history; explores the forms of class struggle and the stage of Indian economic development in Mughal India; analyses the impact of colonialism on the Indian economy; and chronicles the changes in Marx's perception of India. These painstakingly researched and...

Set against the backdrop of major developments in the nationalist movement in Bengal, this study focuses on the nature of the interaction between the Congress, which represented mainstream political nationalism, and popular social groups whose politics was largely disorganized. In particular, it assesses the imapct that this interplay had on the nature of the Congress and the extent to which the provincial Congress organization was able to match its aspirations to those of the people, as it matured from a loosely-structured institution to an organized politica party.

Research on the...

Partha Sarathi Gupta was an outstanding scholar whose academic interests spanned modern British and Indian history, ranging from imperial policy to the patriotic songs of Bengal. Following his landmark book Imperialism and the British Labour Movement 1914-64 (1975), Gupta worked on decolonization in India, and edited three substantial volumes of documents on the Indian nationalist movement in 1943 and 1944. At the time of his death in 1999, he was editing a collection of essays on Indian military history. The present collection, which reflects his various interests, includes work on...

This book provides a historical background to the formation of the Indian capitalist class from before British colonial rule in India. It analyses the nature of that class, the ways in which it changed under colonial rule, and the state of independent India; it also sets some of the peculiarities of capitalist organization in India and the ideology of big capital in their historical context.

The evolution of the working class in India is analysed in its dialectical interaction with global capital and Indian capitalism. The author challenges the view that the tensions within working...

As a specialist on India, the economist Daniel Thorner is remembered for his deep commitment to the cause of Indian nationalism, and his understanding of the country's social, economic and political complexity. As a tribute to Thorner's wide-ranging and far-reaching contributions to Indian economics, Thorner's wife, Alice Thorner, and his good friend, P. N. Haksar, have put together a series of lectures in association with the Indian Statistical Institute. This collection reflects the breadth of Thorner's own range of interests, encompassing themes in the social sciences and issues in the...

A collection of essays written from a Marxist-Feminist perspective, 'Inventing Subjects' is a significant contribution to the field of historical sociology. The essays speak of the different ways in which social subjects and their agencies have been constructed and represented in the context of the development of colonial hegemony and socio-cultural formations in India. Four of the essays focus on constructive proposals for social subjectivities and agencies of Bengali middle-class women by both the indigenous and the colonial elite. The othrt two essays consider the invention or...

Modern India is emerging as a global power within which the Indian state plays a critical role in delivering economic development and maintaining the integrity and unity of society. By drawing upon informed essays from scholars and researchers engaged in the field, this volume provides critical, empirical and conceptual insights into state-society relationships over issues as diverse as cable TV networks, urban planning, garbage collection, economic liberalization, coalition politics, provincial political rhetoric, individual rights and political participation and the management of village...

This volume of Netaji Bose's collected works covers perhaps the most difficult, daring and controversial phase in the life of India's foremost anti-colonial revolutionary. His writings and broadcasts of this period cover a broad range of topics, including: the nature and course of World War Two; the need to distinguish between India's internal and external policy in the context of the international war crisis; plans for a final armed assault against British rule in India; dismay at, and criticism of, Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union; the hypocrisy of Anglo-American notions of freedom...

The Indian constitution seeks to prevent the perpetuation of caste and build a casteless social system. But in over half a century since Indian independence, this has not been achieved and does not seem likely in the near future. Therefore, no understanding of Indian politics is possible without a thorough understanding of the complexities of the caste system. The aim of this four-part book is to bring about such an understanding. It begins by examining the various meanings attached to the notion of caste. The essay and book extracts in this first section include classic writings on caste...