Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Gandhian Politics (Re-Exploring the Logic of Gandhian Violence: Gandhi and his Followers in the Quit India Movement, Bengal 1942-45)
Berichtszeitraum: 2016-09-13 bis 2018-09-12
'Re-Exploring the Logic of Gandhian Violence: Gandhi and his Followers in the Quit India Movement, Bengal 1942-45'. I proposed this project as it is important to understand the nuances of mass activism during the anti-colonial movement in the decade of the forties, especially, Gandhian mass movement. It is imperative for historians to not treat Gandhian mass movements under the blanket category of non-violence, but also delve deeper to understand the violence that often characterized his movements, and question as to why did his 'followers' often engaged in violent confrontations with the colonial state while still abrogating to themselves the title of 'Gandhians'.
The issues addressed: 1) understanding the changing nature of Gandhi's attitude towards non-violence 2) How do his followers use his conceptions of violence/non-violence in their own actions during a mass movement. The case study was the Quit India Movement in Bengal, especially Midnapore, which saw the formation of the Tamralipta National Government, 1942-45.
Importance for Society: We are now seeing political developments all over the world, where leaders of States are commanding a massive mass following. Donald Trump in the USA and Narendra Modi in India have both won massive electoral victories based on popular support. This study provides an avenue to understanding how political rhetoric espoused by leaders is received by their 'followers', internalized & translated into political action.
Objectives of the project: 1) Understanding Gandhi’s rationale behind the tacit incitement to violence before the Movement i.e. analyse reasons behind the change in his attitude towards the nature of a mass movement.
2) How did a mass movement with definite violent overtones, conceptualize Gandhi? This particular case study holds the key to understanding the perceived relationship that political actors might hold with the persona of a charismatic leader.
3) How do we link up the triad – Elite Leadership-Mass Action-Violence? How does an elite leader, with the support of a political party and ideology, percolate down to mass ‘perceptions’? This ‘perceptibility’ is then translated into action by the masses, violence being used in both political endeavors and communal riots. Often the general mood of the masses directs mobilization by the leaders, who then pre-determine and control the nature of would-be ‘perceptions’. Hence, it is a two way process.
The issues addressed: 1) understanding the changing nature of Gandhi's attitude towards non-violence 2) How do his followers use his conceptions of violence/non-violence in their own actions during a mass movement. The case study was the Quit India Movement in Bengal, especially Midnapore, which saw the formation of the Tamralipta National Government, 1942-45.
Importance for Society: We are now seeing political developments all over the world, where leaders of States are commanding a massive mass following. Donald Trump in the USA and Narendra Modi in India have both won massive electoral victories based on popular support. This study provides an avenue to understanding how political rhetoric espoused by leaders is received by their 'followers', internalized & translated into political action.
Objectives of the project: 1) Understanding Gandhi’s rationale behind the tacit incitement to violence before the Movement i.e. analyse reasons behind the change in his attitude towards the nature of a mass movement.
2) How did a mass movement with definite violent overtones, conceptualize Gandhi? This particular case study holds the key to understanding the perceived relationship that political actors might hold with the persona of a charismatic leader.
3) How do we link up the triad – Elite Leadership-Mass Action-Violence? How does an elite leader, with the support of a political party and ideology, percolate down to mass ‘perceptions’? This ‘perceptibility’ is then translated into action by the masses, violence being used in both political endeavors and communal riots. Often the general mood of the masses directs mobilization by the leaders, who then pre-determine and control the nature of would-be ‘perceptions’. Hence, it is a two way process.
I corresponded with several members of the academic community at Kings College London. Dr. Berenice Guyot-Rechard, Dr. Louise Tillin and Dr. Abigail Woods were instrumental in providing advice and mentor-ship at various stages of the project.
I carried out archival research at the British Library and the Centre of South Asian Studies (CSAS) Cambridge. I have consulted numerous records on the Quit India Movement at the British Library, especially the L/P&J Collection - ‘Official Reports on Disturbances and Riots in India’ (L/PJ/8 572A), ‘Copies and Reports of articles by Gandhi in Harijan’(L/PJ/588A), ‘Situation Reports from Provinces’ (L/PJ/8 605), among many others. The ‘R’ series within the India Office Collection (R/3/1/14-16) hold two specific files: ‘Civil Disobedience Movement; Midnapore District Daily Reports’ (R/3/2/36).and ‘Daily and Bi-weekly Reports on Civil Disobedience Movement in Bengal’ (R/3/2/37), which were used extensively in the project. Two Reports associated specifically with the Quit India Movement i.e. 'Congress Responsibility for the Disturbances 1942-43' and 'Report on Disturbances 1942-43' were also consulted at length in the project. The CSAS Library and Archive were used for studying Private Papers: the Benthall Papers and the S. G. Taylor Papers. I also consulted the Microfiche Collection of Political and Intelligence Files- Revolutionary and Terrorist Activities 1914-1942.
In India, I carried out archival research at the Intelligence Branch Archives, Special Branch Archives and West Bengal State Archives, West Bengal. The Intelligence Branch and Special Branch Archives provided material on the background and preparations made by political parties before the movement. The West Bengal State Archives records gave insight into the nature of the movement between 1942-45. I also consulted the Tamralipta Itihas Committee Papers at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) at New Delhi. These were the key records used for uncovering the nature and functioning of the Jatiya Sarkar, especially the kind of violence carried out by members of the Sarkar and their relationship with Gandhi.
I have disseminated my research by presenting at Conferences and talks at several universities in the U.K. I have presented at the BASAS Conference at Cambridge (2016) and University of Nottingham (2017) and given talks at the British Library, University of Warwick, Kings India Institute and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). These presentations and talks not only allowed me to take my research to wider audiences in academia, but also provided me with excellent feedback on how to proceed on the project. I also organised an Early Career Workshop at Kings College London (May 2018), where several members of the ECR community at Kings presented their research and showcased the interconnections between Gandhian politics in India and Irish nationalists in Ireland and England.
I have submitted a chapter of my research for publication in the Journal - 'South Asia: Journal of South Asian History'. The publication is currently under peer review.
The project has been completed in the shape of a potential monograph for publication in the form of a book.
I carried out archival research at the British Library and the Centre of South Asian Studies (CSAS) Cambridge. I have consulted numerous records on the Quit India Movement at the British Library, especially the L/P&J Collection - ‘Official Reports on Disturbances and Riots in India’ (L/PJ/8 572A), ‘Copies and Reports of articles by Gandhi in Harijan’(L/PJ/588A), ‘Situation Reports from Provinces’ (L/PJ/8 605), among many others. The ‘R’ series within the India Office Collection (R/3/1/14-16) hold two specific files: ‘Civil Disobedience Movement; Midnapore District Daily Reports’ (R/3/2/36).and ‘Daily and Bi-weekly Reports on Civil Disobedience Movement in Bengal’ (R/3/2/37), which were used extensively in the project. Two Reports associated specifically with the Quit India Movement i.e. 'Congress Responsibility for the Disturbances 1942-43' and 'Report on Disturbances 1942-43' were also consulted at length in the project. The CSAS Library and Archive were used for studying Private Papers: the Benthall Papers and the S. G. Taylor Papers. I also consulted the Microfiche Collection of Political and Intelligence Files- Revolutionary and Terrorist Activities 1914-1942.
In India, I carried out archival research at the Intelligence Branch Archives, Special Branch Archives and West Bengal State Archives, West Bengal. The Intelligence Branch and Special Branch Archives provided material on the background and preparations made by political parties before the movement. The West Bengal State Archives records gave insight into the nature of the movement between 1942-45. I also consulted the Tamralipta Itihas Committee Papers at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) at New Delhi. These were the key records used for uncovering the nature and functioning of the Jatiya Sarkar, especially the kind of violence carried out by members of the Sarkar and their relationship with Gandhi.
I have disseminated my research by presenting at Conferences and talks at several universities in the U.K. I have presented at the BASAS Conference at Cambridge (2016) and University of Nottingham (2017) and given talks at the British Library, University of Warwick, Kings India Institute and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). These presentations and talks not only allowed me to take my research to wider audiences in academia, but also provided me with excellent feedback on how to proceed on the project. I also organised an Early Career Workshop at Kings College London (May 2018), where several members of the ECR community at Kings presented their research and showcased the interconnections between Gandhian politics in India and Irish nationalists in Ireland and England.
I have submitted a chapter of my research for publication in the Journal - 'South Asia: Journal of South Asian History'. The publication is currently under peer review.
The project has been completed in the shape of a potential monograph for publication in the form of a book.
The project progressed smoothly from the beginning till its completion. I developed a blog at KCL titled 'Politics of Protest in Colonial South Asia', where I not only posted on progress of research, but also regularly wrote on current politics and public activities in India, drawing a link between history and contemporary Indian politics. The blog was popular on Facebook and my posts often elicited varied and interesting responses, not just from peers in academia across the world, but also from non-academics.
Excellent progress has been made in terms of completion of all the objectives proposed in the Grant Proposal and also Impact and Dissemination activities. Presentations of research have been made across the U.K. and audiences and target groups were varied - from undergraduates to researchers in the field of history and politics. The presentation at the British Library also included students from other fields of social sciences like Sociology, and included some non-academics as well. The publication currently under peer review is with a journal based in Australia, hence it will also reach wide audiences in academia beyond U.K. and India. The wider societal implications of the project include primarily a model to understand the relationship and interconnections between elite leadership, mass action and violence. It also provides an alternative model of politics (based on Gandhi's understanding and application of the theory of Ahimsa) in the context of contemporary Indian politics and society, that is increasingly turning violent.
The project has been completed in the form of a monograph, which when published, will provide students of the social sciences an in-depth understanding of popular actions and elite leadership in the South Asian context.
Excellent progress has been made in terms of completion of all the objectives proposed in the Grant Proposal and also Impact and Dissemination activities. Presentations of research have been made across the U.K. and audiences and target groups were varied - from undergraduates to researchers in the field of history and politics. The presentation at the British Library also included students from other fields of social sciences like Sociology, and included some non-academics as well. The publication currently under peer review is with a journal based in Australia, hence it will also reach wide audiences in academia beyond U.K. and India. The wider societal implications of the project include primarily a model to understand the relationship and interconnections between elite leadership, mass action and violence. It also provides an alternative model of politics (based on Gandhi's understanding and application of the theory of Ahimsa) in the context of contemporary Indian politics and society, that is increasingly turning violent.
The project has been completed in the form of a monograph, which when published, will provide students of the social sciences an in-depth understanding of popular actions and elite leadership in the South Asian context.