Caste, Culture and Hegemony

In Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal (1st Edition), author Sekhar Bandyopadhyay investigates how Hindu caste society preserved its structural cohesion and cultural dominance throughout the colonial period. Designed for scholars and researchers in South Asian studies and history, this work clarifies the mechanisms through which traditional social hierarchies adjusted to modern institutional frameworks.

The text evaluates early interactions between orthodox Brahmanical traditions and lower-caste popular religious movements. It further addresses nineteenth-century social reform initiatives, giving specific emphasis to debates surrounding widow remarriage. Additionally, the analysis details how caste stratification intersected with gender expectations, shaping women's social standing and opportunities for mobility.

By integrating socio-religious movements with structural analysis, the volume offers specialized academic readers a grounded framework for evaluating power dynamics in eastern India. It provides targeted context for graduate seminars and research programs focused on political science, religion, minority studies, and gender studies.