Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis
By (author) Kunal Chakrabarti, Shubhra Chakrabarti
Publication date:
22 August 2013Length of book:
604 pagesPublisher
Scarecrow PressISBN-13: 9780810853348
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.
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.
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.