Nationalism, Terrorism, Communalism
This book is a collection
of seven essays – originally published in journals such as History and Theory, Modern Asian Studies,
and South Asia – that examine
different aspects of the Indian revolutionary movement. Four of the essays deal
with specific problems, such as the role of individual actors and foreign
influences in the development of Indian revolutionary terrorism. The last two
examine the problem of “communalism” or politicized religious conflict in South
Asia.
Publisher’s description
Nationalists of the Swadeshi period
(1905-1912) enunciated the aim of complete independence and developed methods
of resistance – non-violent and violent – that would be taken up by Gandhi,
Bose and others after 1920. This volume of essays examines how some of the more
important and problematic aspects of the Swadeshi movement such as the
relationship between terrorism and non-violent resistance. It contains an
analysis of the first group of Indian terrorists, and the relationship of
Aurobindo Ghose to this group and to terrorism in general. Also examined here
are foreign influences on Bengal terrorism and the nature of Bengali “religious
nationalism.” The author also devotes himself to a theoretical study of
communalism. The essays, based on original research in primary sources in
English, Bengali, and French, are informed by but not limited to the approaches
of the major schools of interpretation. This volume, written in a lucid style
will be of interest to historians of modern India, students at the postgraduate
level and general readers interested in modern India history and current
affairs, both in India and abroad.
Reviews
Heehs’s point of departure is a welcome
one. Revolutionary terrorists need to be regarded more seriously than as a band
of adventurers representing a bygone era. . . . In the final essay Heehs takes
up the difference between mythic narratives (circulated in religious and
communal circles) and historical truth. . . . The results are sometimes
provocative.
P. K.
Dutta, Biblio (New Delhi)
These case studies on the relationship between
revolutionary terrorism and nationalism are a blend of intellectual and
political history, and fill an important gap in South Asian scholarship. . . .
The book makes an important contribution on an issue that has been largely
sidelined in the debates surrounding the nature of nationalism/communalism in
modern South Asia.
Vivek
Bhandari, The Journal of Asian Studies
Heehs is attuned to developments in Indian
history, the debates surrounding Subaltern Studies, and the politics of Indian
historiography. . . . Heehs offers the useful suggestion that the debate on
communalism has been dominated by “rival historical schools” and that far more
insight would be gained if the historians were attentive to the work of
cultural psychologists, anthropologists and other social scientists. But it is
his observations on “history” and “myth” which alert us to one of Subaltern
Studies’ greatest failings.
Vinay
Lal, History and Theory
Well researched. . . . There is plenty of
quality here to make it worth parting with your money.
Bob
Currie, Commonwealth and Comparative
Politics