Gentlemanly Terrorists: Political Violence and the Colonial State in India, 1919–1947 (Critical Perspectives on Empire) - Softcover

Ghosh, Durba

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1316637387 ISBN 13: 9781316637388

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017

Synopsis

In Gentlemanly Terrorists, Durba Ghosh uncovers the critical place of revolutionary terrorism in the colonial and postcolonial history of modern India. She reveals how so-called 'Bhadralok dacoits' used assassinations, bomb attacks, and armed robberies to accelerate the departure of the British from India and how, in response, the colonial government effectively declared a state of emergency, suspending the rule of law and detaining hundreds of suspected terrorists. She charts how each measure of constitutional reform to expand Indian representation in 1919 and 1935 was accompanied by emergency legislation to suppress political activism by those considered a threat to the security of the state. Repressive legislation became increasingly seen as a necessary condition to British attempts to promote civic society and liberal governance in India. By placing political violence at the center of India's campaigns to win independence, this book reveals how terrorism shaped the modern nation-state in India.

About this title

Review:

'Ghosh (Cornell) explores this story in her excellent monograph, massively researched and clearly written. Recommended.' R. A. Callahan, Choice

'Ghosh shows impressive sensitivity to historical meaning and context and, through her methodology as much as her analysis, delivers a landmark study of political violence and the colonial state.' David Arnold, The English Historical Review

Book Description:

A major new study of the critical place of revolutionary terrorism in the colonial and postcolonial history of modern India. Durba Ghosh charts how the application of the rule of law was abrogated, reshaped, and transformed as the British faced challenges posed by a wave of violent terrorist campaigns.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1316637387
• ISBN 13: 9781316637388
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 292