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Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis

Kunal Chakrabarti and Shubhra Chakrabarti

The Bengali (Bangla) speaking people are located in the northeastern part of South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and two states of India – West Bengal and Tripura. There are almost 246 million Bengalis at present, which makes them the fifth largest speech community in the world. Despite political and social divisions, they share a common literary and musical culture and several habits of daily existence which impart to them a distinct identity. The Bengalis are known for their political consciousness and cultural accomplishments.

The
Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis provides an overview of the Bengalis across the world from the earliest Chalcolithic cultures to the present. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 750 cross-referenced dictionary entries on politicians, educators and entrepreneurs, leaders of religious and secular institutions, writers, painters, actors and other cultural figures, and more generally, on the economy, education, political parties, religions, women and minorities, literature, art and architecture, music, cinema and other major sectors. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Bengalis.

  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Scarecrow Press
Pages: 604 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-0-8108-5334-8 • Hardback • August 2013 • $239.00 • (£185.00)
978-0-8108-8024-5 • eBook • August 2013 • $227.00 • (£177.00)
Series: Historical Dictionaries of Peoples and Cultures
Subjects: History / Asia / General
Kunal Chakrabarti is a professor of ancient Indian history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and his areas of interest include social history of religion, regional histories and early textual traditions. His book titled Religious Process: The Puranas and the Making of a Regional Tradition was published by Oxford University Press in New Delhi.

Shubhra Chakrabarti is an associate professor of history in Dayal Singh College, Delhi University, New Delhi, India. Her publications are on aspects of modern Indian economic history.
With over 750 entries, this dictionary of Bengali people, culture, and history spans the years 1600 BCE to 2011. K. Chakrabarti and S. Chakrabarti precede the main body of the text with . . . helpful supplementary material, including an introduction that establishes the scope of the volume. They cover histories of Bengalis in Bangladesh, the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, and the diaspora. Maps of the three South Asian regions of focus lack careful identification and citation, and curiously are labeled 'sketch maps.' Dictionary entries skew heavily toward biography, with some exceptions: coverage of geography, culture, and social movements also figure in the text. Each entry highlights cross-references in boldface; sadly, no entries feature footnotes or individual lists of sources consulted. A lack of subaltern perspectives and analysis is evident; e.g., the book features an entry on upper-caste Bhadralok groups, but none on Bengali Dalit people. Even as a lengthy, conclusive bibliography opens up a trove of research sources to readers, tracing the connections between that body of work and the authors' own research and writing processes is difficult. Summing Up: Recommended.
— Choice Reviews


This volume opens with a necessarily brief introduction to the history of the Bengalis who are located in the northeastern part of South Asia, more specifically Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Tripura. Its authors, a professor of ancient Indian history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and an associate profess of history at Dayal Singh College in New Delhi, review the history, begin with an introductory essay discussing how the Bengalis have influenced culture within their region, particularly in the areas of political consciousness and cultural accomplishments. With sections on current political trends and economic mapping along with a discussion of the cultural fabric of the people, the reader gains a solid background for use of the dictionary itself with its hundreds of cross-referenced entries. These entries range from very short to several pages long and include discussions of many specific individuals from the full range of the history to consideration of movements and other topics, such as places, events, institutions, economy, politics, and culture. Of particular interest to some may be the many entries about the Bengali's contributions to the arts, political thought, and religious thought. The volume also includes a chronological outline, maps, and a very extensive topical bibliography. This historical dictionary can thus serve as an excellent starting point to learn about this people. Furthermore, its accessible language makes it easily comprehensible to the interested lay public. Ultimately, the volume will make an excellent addition to academic libraries, both colleges and larger high schools, as well as to general library systems.
— American Reference Books Annual


A helpful chronology concentrating more on the modern period; an excellent general introduction. . . .[T]he dictionary proper. . . .containing a vast amount of . . . information, arranged in an English alphabetized order, [and] a well-organized 70-page bibliography. . . .I would warmly recommend this book as a useful resource for all libraries catering to readers who wish to extend their knowledge of a major grouping in the world's population.
— Reference Reviews


Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • The Bengali (Bangla) speaking people are located in the northeastern part of South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and two states of India – West Bengal and Tripura. There are almost 246 million Bengalis at present, which makes them the fifth largest speech community in the world. Despite political and social divisions, they share a common literary and musical culture and several habits of daily existence which impart to them a distinct identity. The Bengalis are known for their political consciousness and cultural accomplishments.

    The
    Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis provides an overview of the Bengalis across the world from the earliest Chalcolithic cultures to the present. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 750 cross-referenced dictionary entries on politicians, educators and entrepreneurs, leaders of religious and secular institutions, writers, painters, actors and other cultural figures, and more generally, on the economy, education, political parties, religions, women and minorities, literature, art and architecture, music, cinema and other major sectors. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Bengalis.

Details
Details
  • Scarecrow Press
    Pages: 604 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼
    978-0-8108-5334-8 • Hardback • August 2013 • $239.00 • (£185.00)
    978-0-8108-8024-5 • eBook • August 2013 • $227.00 • (£177.00)
    Series: Historical Dictionaries of Peoples and Cultures
    Subjects: History / Asia / General
Author
Author
  • Kunal Chakrabarti is a professor of ancient Indian history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and his areas of interest include social history of religion, regional histories and early textual traditions. His book titled Religious Process: The Puranas and the Making of a Regional Tradition was published by Oxford University Press in New Delhi.

    Shubhra Chakrabarti is an associate professor of history in Dayal Singh College, Delhi University, New Delhi, India. Her publications are on aspects of modern Indian economic history.
Reviews
Reviews
  • With over 750 entries, this dictionary of Bengali people, culture, and history spans the years 1600 BCE to 2011. K. Chakrabarti and S. Chakrabarti precede the main body of the text with . . . helpful supplementary material, including an introduction that establishes the scope of the volume. They cover histories of Bengalis in Bangladesh, the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, and the diaspora. Maps of the three South Asian regions of focus lack careful identification and citation, and curiously are labeled 'sketch maps.' Dictionary entries skew heavily toward biography, with some exceptions: coverage of geography, culture, and social movements also figure in the text. Each entry highlights cross-references in boldface; sadly, no entries feature footnotes or individual lists of sources consulted. A lack of subaltern perspectives and analysis is evident; e.g., the book features an entry on upper-caste Bhadralok groups, but none on Bengali Dalit people. Even as a lengthy, conclusive bibliography opens up a trove of research sources to readers, tracing the connections between that body of work and the authors' own research and writing processes is difficult. Summing Up: Recommended.
    — Choice Reviews


    This volume opens with a necessarily brief introduction to the history of the Bengalis who are located in the northeastern part of South Asia, more specifically Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Tripura. Its authors, a professor of ancient Indian history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and an associate profess of history at Dayal Singh College in New Delhi, review the history, begin with an introductory essay discussing how the Bengalis have influenced culture within their region, particularly in the areas of political consciousness and cultural accomplishments. With sections on current political trends and economic mapping along with a discussion of the cultural fabric of the people, the reader gains a solid background for use of the dictionary itself with its hundreds of cross-referenced entries. These entries range from very short to several pages long and include discussions of many specific individuals from the full range of the history to consideration of movements and other topics, such as places, events, institutions, economy, politics, and culture. Of particular interest to some may be the many entries about the Bengali's contributions to the arts, political thought, and religious thought. The volume also includes a chronological outline, maps, and a very extensive topical bibliography. This historical dictionary can thus serve as an excellent starting point to learn about this people. Furthermore, its accessible language makes it easily comprehensible to the interested lay public. Ultimately, the volume will make an excellent addition to academic libraries, both colleges and larger high schools, as well as to general library systems.
    — American Reference Books Annual


    A helpful chronology concentrating more on the modern period; an excellent general introduction. . . .[T]he dictionary proper. . . .containing a vast amount of . . . information, arranged in an English alphabetized order, [and] a well-organized 70-page bibliography. . . .I would warmly recommend this book as a useful resource for all libraries catering to readers who wish to extend their knowledge of a major grouping in the world's population.
    — Reference Reviews


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