The Unrest Axle (Ethno - Social Movements in Eastern India)

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The study of a social movement represents a sphere of social activity and social change. Scholars interested in this discipline find pleasure in deciphering the involvement of ethnic groups who make attempts to change an existing structure, which gets the nomenclature 'ethno-social movement'. The book brings into relief some observations on ethno- social and political movements of eastern India over a time frame of about two and a half centuries. Contributed by scholars from the disciplines of history, sociology, psychology and anthropology the writings portray a detailed account of individual ethno-social movements over a particular sphere of time. To have a wide coverage of the subject the book accommodates two important social mobility movements launched during the last century by two dominant caste groups of Bengal who are spilled over to the adjacent country also and three major regional movements of two neighbouring states that have socio-political implications even for days to come in future. Movements that have a bearing on the crystallization of the national movement for achieving independence have also been dwelt upon to have a wider understanding of the subject.

GAUTAM KUMAR BERA (b. 1958), who graduated in Science with Honours in Anthropology, secured his Master's Degree in Anthropology with specialization in Social and Cultural Anthropology securing first position with a First Class. He conducted research for his Ph.D. degree on issues related to ethnicity and is attached to the Anthropological Survey of India for over two decades.

Recipient of National Scholarship for Advanced Studies, University Gold Medal, and Research Fellow Gold Medal (U.S.A.) in 1997, and several other distinguished awards and honours at both national and international levels, he was elected a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Anthropological Institute, London, in 1992, and Advisor to the Research Board of ABI (U.S.A.) in 1996.

he idea of preparing an edition on social movements emerged in my mind more than two and a half decades ago when I was just fresh from the university. It somehow did not materialize possibly due to lack of competence and lacuna in comprehension. I ventured it after a long gap and still find that it is not fully content in all respects.

The inspiration for the present work comes from my teachers in anthropology, both past and present. Their gnawing questions about insistence on relating knowledge of other cultures to their own set one of the themes of the present work. I have drawn on a basic tenet in cultural anthropology in assuming that despite differences among the people, there is a base line of shared values, experiences, behaviours, and expectations common to all. It too helped me to correct stereotypes and counter ethnocentrism for the exploration of the major social issues of the day.

**Contents and Sample Pages**