Udbastu Bangalir Sangram written by Shantanu Thakur: Negotiating Displacement and Belonging Memory, Matua Identity, and Refugee Struggle

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/11/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 6 (2026)

Article No.

020

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-N9ERG98Y

Received

10 Oct 2026

Views

33

Downloads

13

Abstract

Shantanu Thakur’s Udbastu Bangalir Sangram, Boibondhu Publication Private Limited, Kolkata(2025), ISBN-9788199141001,Page-303, Hardcover, Rs-600₹ is an ambitious contribution to the study of Partition, displacement, Matua identity, and the politics of citizenship in postcolonial Bengal. The book traces a longue durée historical trajectory from the socio-political context of pre-Partition Bengal and the emergence of the Matua movement to the experiences of refugeehood, rehabilitation, political mobilization, cultural memory, and contemporary citizenship debates. Its central strength lies in humanising the history of Partition by foregrounding the experiences of those who lived through displacement and subsequently reconstructed their homes, communities, institutions, and identities. The book is particularly significant for its engagement with the historical legacy of Harichand and Guruchand Thakur, Pramatha Ranjan Thakur, and Binapani Devi, while extending the intergenerational memory preserved in Atmacharita ba Purba Smriti into a broader social and political narrative. At the same time, the work has methodological limitations, especially the inadequate citation of several historical and political assertions, which makes evidentiary verification difficult. Linguistic and editorial imperfections also affect its accessibility to international scholarship. Nevertheless, these limitations do not diminish its archival and intellectual value. Rather, the book should be read as a significant document of historical memory in the making, illuminating how displacement continues to shape identity, belonging, community consciousness, and citizenship in contemporary Bengal.

License

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