A Revolutionary History Of Interwar India: Violence, Image, Voice And Text

by Kama Maclean

Focusing on the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army HSRA A Revolutionary History delivers a fresh perspective on the ambitions ideologies and practices of this influential organization formed by Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh and inspired by transnational anti-imperial dissent. It is a new interpretation of the activities and political impact of the north Indian revolutionaries who advocated the use of political violence against the British. Kama Maclean contends that the actions of these revolutionaries had a direct impact on Congress politics and tested its policy of non-violence. In doing so she draws on visual culture studies demonstrating the efficacy of imagery in constructing as opposed to merely illustrating historical narratives. Macleananalyses visual evidence alongside recently declassified government files memoirs and interviews to elaborate on the complex relationships between the Congress and the HSRA which were far less antagonistic than is frequently imagined. About the AuthorKama Maclean is associate professor of South Asian and World History at UNSW in Sydney and editor of South Asia. Her book Pilgrimage and Power was awarded an honourable mention in the Ananda Coomaraswamy Prize 2009 .

Genres: India, History, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Kama Maclean is Associate Professor of South Asian and World History at UNSW in Sydney, and Editor of South Asia. Her book, Pilgrimage and Power, was awarded an honorable mention in the Ananda Coomaraswamy Prize (2009).

Reviews

[Becca w · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biggest takeaway: struggle for Indian independence cannot be reduced to a simple violence/non-violence binary opposition

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

First pass through for my History of Revolutionary Movements of South Asia. An eye opener to say the least. More thoughts after the course is done.

[Navdeep Pundhir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a welcome contribution to understand the complex and ambiguous interwar years. The hereto black and white narration by court historians is no justice to the entangled realties of our revolutionaries and the moderates. It is wonderful to learn how Motilal Nehru supported Chandrashekhar Azad monetarily and how he paid a visit to Bhagat Singh in the courtroom. The Indian freedom struggle has been taught to us in a most partisan way. It is time for us to put in some more efforts to understand its deeper meaning and methodologies. Informative work!