Description:
This work locates Benoy Kumar Sarkar, one of the foremost Indian sociologists, within the intellectual history of modern India. It shows how Sarkar was instrumental in constructing the idea of a national identity, and engages with his views on nationalism, masculinity, the nation-state, and their contemporary relevance.
Review Quotes:
Sen develops a sensitive and rich critique of a cosmopolitan, modernist right-wing nationalist whose nationalism incorporated Bengali, Indian, and anti-British layers, cohabiting with western nationalisms and the world. [He] disentangles each strand with admirable suppleness and precision. An excellent book. -- Sumit Sarkar, former Professor of History, University of Delhi
A bold and stimulating piece of intellectual history. Sen restores one of the most fascinating, if neglected, figures of modern Indian history to current academic debates on Indian nationalism and its multifaceted global entanglements. -- Harald Fischer-Tiné, Professor of Modern Global History, ETH Zürich
Satadru Sen succeeds brilliantly in explaining Sarkar's complex views and in situating them in their historical and cultural contexts . . . a valuable effort to broaden and complicate the history of Indian nationalism. -- Chandak Sengoopta, Professor of History, University of London
Sarkar emerges from Satadru Sen's engaging account not as a giant cardboard cut-out figure, but as a complex thinker of nevertheless gigantic proportions. -- Benjamin Zachariah, University of Heidelberg