Society and Culture in Bengal

This book examines the social and cultural history of Bengal through two major themes ― the intellectual and cultural dimension, and the socio-economic changes from the ancient to the postcolonial. Essays by major scholars highlight and analyse major debates as well as little known aspects of the region. From currency in ancient Bengal to the establishment of Calcutta, from the social history of Rahr to the challenges of writing history of mediaeval Bengal, from modern medicine to man-made famines, this book brings to the fore the diverse socio-cultural threads that constitute this region.

The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Indian history and culture and South Asian studies.

Achintya Kumar Dutta is Professor of History, The University of Burdwan, and former post-doctoral Commonwealth Fellow at School of Oriental and African Studies, London (2002-03). He was a Visiting Researcher at the Brocher Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland (2022). His research interests include socio-economic history and history of science and medicine in modern India. His recent publications include Trauma in Public Health: Tuberculosis in Twentieth-century India (2018), Connecting Nations: Politico-cultural Mapping of India and Southeast Asia (co-edited, 2019), Dreadful Diseases in Colonial Bengal: Cholera, Malaria and Smallpox A Documentation, (co-edited, 2021), and Explorations in Colonial Bengal: Essays on Religion, Society and Culture (edited, 2023).

Subhayu Chattopadhyay is an Assistant Professor, Department of History, Visva-Bharati. His area of specialization is ‘History of Science and Technology in Colonial and Post-Colonial India’ and ‘Social and Cultural History of Colonial and Post-Colonial India’. He has co-edited a book titled Mapping the Path to Maturity: A Connected History of Bengal Bengal and North-East (New Delhi, 2018).