Journals Information
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 1(2), pp. 72 - 75
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2013.010205
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Partition-Migration in Bengal: Political Schism and Regional-Cultural Divide
Golam Sarwar Khan*
Department of Communication and Development Studies, The Papua New Guinea University of Technology
ABSTRACT
A colossal influx of Hindus from East Bengal (EB) to West Bengal (WB) was evidenced as a consequence of communal riots and partition-migration during 1946-1947. In WB alone, an estimated 3 million uprooted EB Hindus became 鈥榬efugee-migrants鈥� (coerced to flee their homeland and eventually settled as migrants). Initially, the EB Hindus were struggling to resettle in Kolkata and its vicinities. However, their resettlement effort was partially dented by the inimical attitude of the WB Hindus for economic reason. Socio-cultural issues further exacerbated the cleavage between the locals and the settlers. These factors resulted in a new phase of regional communal categorisation between the EB and WB Hindus against the conventional Hindu-Muslim conflict. Subsequently, regional differences and sense of exclusion were reflected in their attitudes of retaining own family values, marriage practices and distinct cultural identities. This paper attempts to analyse the EB Hindus鈥� tendency of maintaining typical family norms and continuity of their cultural traits amidst the WB local culture in Kolkata. A theoretical discussion will be carried out on symbolic construction of community and social exclusion and variance.
KEYWORDS
Partition-migration, Communal categorization, Cultural identities, Symbolic construction
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Golam Sarwar Khan , "Partition-Migration in Bengal: Political Schism and Regional-Cultural Divide," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 72 - 75, 2013. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2013.010205.
(b). APA Format:
Golam Sarwar Khan (2013). Partition-Migration in Bengal: Political Schism and Regional-Cultural Divide. Sociology and Anthropology, 1(2), 72 - 75. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2013.010205.