Scoring off the field : football culture in Bengal, 1911-1980

This book examines how football, as a mass spectator sport, came to represent a novel, unique cultural identity of Bengali people in terms of nation, community, region/locality and club, contributing to the continuity of everyday socio-cultural life. It explains how football became a viable popular social force with a rare emotional spontaneity and peculiar self-expressive fan culture against the background of anti-imperial nationalist movement and postcolonial political tension and social transformation. In the process, it investigates certain key questions and problems in the social history of football in Bengal, which have hitherto been ignored in the existing works on the subject.The author offers some original arguments in treating football as a cultural phenomenon, setting it squarely in the context of Bengali politics and society. It strengthens the premise that social history of South Asian sport can be meaningfully understood only by looking beyond the sports field. The study, using sport as a lens, has tried to consider some relevant themes of social history, and brings forth important issues of political and cultural history of 20th-century Bengal. Simultaneously, it highlights the transformed role of football as an instrument of reaction, resistance and subversion. It indicates that the football field of Bengal proves to be a mirror image of what society experiences in its cultural and political field, through a series of historical projections of identity, difference and culture. This book examines how football, as a mass spectator sport, came to represent a novel and unique cultural identity of Bengali people in terms of nation, community, region/locality and club, contributing to the continuity of everyday socio-cultural life. It offers original arguments in treating football as a cultural phenomenon, setting it squarely in the context of Bengali politics and society, and outlines how football became a viable popular social force with rare emotional spontaneity and peculiar self-expressive fan culture against the background of the anti-imperial nationalist movement, and later, postcolonial political tension and social transformation. The author strengthens the premise that the social history of South Asian sport can be meaningfully understood only by looking beyond the sports field. The study, using sport as a lens, considers some relevant themes of social history, and brings forth important issues of political and cultural history of 20th-century Bengal. Simultaneously, it highlights the transformed role of football as an instrument of reaction, resistance and subversion, arguing that the football field of Bengal proves to be a mirror image of what society experiences in its cultural and political field, through a series of historical projections of identity, difference and culture. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of history, sociology and social policy, cultural studies, sport and leisure studies and urban studies. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication Page 6 Contents 8 List of Plates 10 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 1. The Culture of a 'Masculine' English Game in an 'Effeminate' Native Colony: Football in Bengal 32 2. From Imperialism to Nationalism: The Changing Culture of Soccer in Late Colonial Bengal 70 3. Communalism on the Maidan: Community and Identity in Bengali Football 121 4. Tussle in Football Administration: Bengal and the Regional Politics of Soccer in Colonial India 174 5. Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: Social Conflict, Club Rivalry and Supporters' Culture in Bengali Football 198 6. Open Space, Stadium Imbroglio and Spectator Culture: Ground Realities of Bengali Soccer 230 7. Football, Literature and Performing Arts: Perceptions and Sensibilities Towards the Game 267 Epilogue 292 Appendices 295 Bibliography 323 About the Author 338 Index 339 This book explains how access to and use of land, water and language helped shape Andhra politics in India from 1850 down to the present day. After independence, the debate over land reform and policies on irrigation has shaped the fortunes of various governments, while the debate over the make-up of the language-based state has stimulated separatist movements like the one in support of Telangana.The book discusses how British innovations in irrigation in coastal Andhra in the mid-nineteenth century transformed the economy there from food crops to cash crops, and created new markets for local entrepreneurs. This stimulated increased education and social reform in the region, which in turn supported new politics in search of constitutional concessions. The drive for a Telugu language-based province then arose in concert, and those political resources were then used to determine local patterns down to independence. The 1930s ruse of the socialists, then the communist organisations, was an extension of land and water tax debates, which impacted the political nature of development — both before and after — independence. This is one of the first books on Andhra that recounts this story and is based on extensive archival research exploring the deep relationships between land, water, language and politics. It would be of primary interest to those studying modern nationalism in India, natural resource management, Indian politics and economic growth. This book explains how access to and use of land, water and language helped shape Andhra politics in India from 1850 down to the present day. After independence, the debate over land reform and policies on irrigation has shaped the fortunes of various governments, while the debate over the make-up of the language-based state has stimulated separatist movements like the one in support of Telangana. The book discusses how British innovations in irrigation in coastal Andhra in the mid-nineteenth century transformed the economy there from food crops to cash crops, and created new markets for local entrepreneurs. This stimulated increased education and social reform in the region, which in turn supported new politics in search of constitutional concessions. The drive for a Telugu language-based province then arose in concert, and those political resources were then used to determine local patterns down to independence. The 1930s ruse of the socialists, then the communist organisations, was an extension of land and water tax debates, which impacted the political nature of development both before and after independence. This is one of the first books on Andhra that recounts this story and is based on extensive archival research exploring the deep relationships between land, water, language and politics. It would be of primary interest to those studying modern nationalism in India, natural resource management, Indian politics and economic growth. This book traces the social and political history of the Muslims of south India from the later nineteenth century to Independence in 1947, and the contours that followed. It describes a community in search of political survival amidst an ever-changing climate, and the fluctuating fortunes it had in dealing with the rise of Indian nationalism, the local political nuances of that rise, and its own changing position as part of the wider Muslim community in India.The book argues that Partition and the foundation of Pakistan in 1947 were neither the goal nor the necessarily inescapable result of the growth of communal politics and sentiment, and analyses the post-1947 constructions of events leading to Partition. Neither the fact of Muslim communalism per se before 1947 nor the existence of separate Muslim electorates provide an explanation for Pakistan. The book advances the theory that micro-level studies of the operation of the former, and the defence of the latter, in British India can lead to a better understanding of the origins of communalism. The book makes an important contribution to understanding and dealing with the complexities of communalism — be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian — and its often tragic consequences. This book traces the social and political history of the Muslims of south India from the later nineteenth century to Independence in 1947, and the contours that followed. It describes a community in search of political survival amidst an ever-changing climate, and the fluctuating fortunes it had in dealing with the rise of Indian nationalism, the local political nuances of that rise, and its own changing position as part of the wider Muslim community in India. The book argues that Partition and the foundation of Pakistan in 1947 were neither the goal nor the necessarily inescapable result of the growth of communal politics and sentiment, and analyses the post-1947 constructions of events leading to Partition. Neither the fact of Muslim communalism per se before 1947 nor the existence of separate Muslim electorates provide an explanation for Pakistan. The book advances the theory that micro-level studies of the operation of the former, and the defence of the latter, in British India can lead to a better understanding of the origins of communalism. The book makes an important contribution to understanding and dealing with the complexities of communalism be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian and its often tragic consequences. This Book Explains How Access To And Use Of Land, Water And Language Helped Shape Andhra Politics In India From 1850 Down To The Present Day. After Independence, The Debate Over Land Reform And Policies On Irrigation Has Shaped The Fortunes Of Various Governments, While The Debate Over The Make-up Of The Language-based State Has Stimulated Separatist Movements Like The One In Support Of Telangana.--publisher Website. Water, Land And Politics In Coastal Andhra, 1850-1925 -- Agrarian Politics And Congress Organisation, 1925-30 -- The Salt Satyagraha -- A National Complication For Local Politics : The Gandhi-irwin Pact, 1931 -- Agitational Politics Renewed, 1932 -- Reinforcing Local Patterns, 1933-34 -- Consequences, 1935-47 -- Tracing The Fault Lines From 1947. Brian Stoddart. First Published: New Delhi, 2011; Simultaneously Published In The Uk. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book analyses India's relations with its neighbours (China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and other world powers (USA, UK, and Russia) over a span of 60 years. It traces the roots of independent India's foreign policy from the Partition and its fallout, its nascent years under Nehru, and non-alignment to the influence of economic liberalization and globalization. The volume delves into the underlying reasons of persistent problems confronting India's foreign policy-makers, as well as foreign-policy interface with defence and domestic policies. This book will be indispensable to students, scholars and teachers of South Asian studies, international relations, political science, and modern Indian history. The debate over land reform, policies on irrigation and linguistic identity has shaped the fortunes of various governments in India. This book explores these close connections between land, water, language and politics, and explains how these have shaped politics in Andhra Pradesh from 1850 down to the present day The book examines the lapses in leadership which led to certain crucial problems in foreign policy at the time of India's independence in 1947, including communal antagonism. It traces the subtle changes in foreign policy post-1991 which set the stage for India's movement towards acheiving a greater power status. The book traces the social and political history of the Muslims of south India from the later nineteenth century to Independence in 1947. It describes a community in search of political survival amidst rising Indian nationalism, the local political nuances of that rise, and its own changing position. This book attempts to chart, analyse and project the changing dimensions of Bengali football culture in the wider context of political evolution, social transition and economic transformation in Bengal/West Bengal.