Date of Submission

Spring 2024

Academic Program

Historical Studies

Project Advisor 1

Nabanjan Maitra

Abstract/Artist's Statement

The Namasudra community of West Bengal is currently the focus of electoral politics in the region. As political parties attempt to gain or maintain power, this community is seen as a valuable asset to that end. The Namasudras are no strangers to this position, caught in the push and pull of outsider overtures for allegiance. This project seeks to investigate the actions of the Namasudras in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to better understand their current position. It will focus on their interactions with missionaries as a method of discussing issues of agency, caste, and recognition. The analysis of this history is done through the lens of Nancy Fraser’s theory of misrecognition. This work begins with a discussion of the rise of the missionary society, which led to what I dub the “Invited Missionary.” Then, I look at the development of the Namasudra identity and the context in which the “Invited Missionary” arose in their community. Finally, I discuss the elements that made up interactions between the Namasudras and missionaries, to trace ways the Namasudras exercised agency and attempted to shape their future. By discussing this history, traditional narratives of subaltern history and missionary activity are upended, leading to a greater understanding of current day socio-political dynamics in West Bengal.

Open Access Agreement

Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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