About the Book This book is a systematic study of student radical- ism in Calcutta University. Using an index of radical attitudes developed by him, the author empirically tests certain hypotheses drawn up on the basis of an extensive re- view of literature. The hypotheses are tested on the basis of field data obtained from a randomly drawn sample of students studying for the Masters degree in Calcutta University. The results of the survey provide new in- sights into the complex phenomenon of student redicalism. The book will be usefu! to Sociologists, Political Scientists and other social scientists interested in student radicalism.
About the Author Anirban Banerjee is at present Reader and Head of the Department of Sociology at The University of Burdwan. He topped the list of successful candidates in- the M. A. Examination in Sociology of Calcutta University (1984). He was awarded the UGC Junior Research Fellowship and ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship in 1986. He did his Ph. D. as an ICSSR Doctoral Fellow under the supervision of Professor Surajit C. Sinha at the Centre For Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. Dr. Banerjee was awarded the Ph. D. degree by Calcutta University in 1992.
Dr Banerjee joined the University of Burdwan on July 19, 1989 as a Full-time Faculty Member and has been a Guest Faculty Member of the Department of Sociology, Calcutta University, since 1991. He is a Life Member of the Indian Sociological Society, the Indian Social Science Association and the Indian Statistical Institute. He is also a member of the International Sociological Association.
Dr Banerjee is the author of Exploring Student Politics (1998). He has also published a number of research papers on Classicial Sociology and Industrial Sociology. Dr. Banerjee is also developing sociological terminology in Bengali. The author is presently engaged in a research project on suicide. Recently, he participated in the ISA XV World Congress of Sociology, held at Brisbane, Australia, between 7-13th July, 2002. His paper, "Preventing Suicide in Kolkata Metro Railway," was highly appreciated by the audience.
Preface Students, especially college and university students, have played a notable role in the political life of many nations. The Chinese and Indian students, for example, played a vanguard role in the struggle of their people to free themselves from the foreign yolk. But it was the sixties, which witnessed a global explosion of student radicalism, that attracted scholarly interest in the phenomenon. Mao and Guevara became cult figures for student radicals who fought for social justice. The New Left movement of Europe and America, and the Red Guard movement in China are examples of student-youth movements that shook these societies.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
