Dr. Sibaji Pratim Basu (b. 13 November 1959), Treasurer & Honorary Researcher of CRG, has graduated from the Department of Political Science, Presidency College, Kolkata (1981); post-graduated from University of Calcutta (1983) and obtained Ph.D. on “The Concepts of Nationalism and Internationalism: Tagore and Gandhi”, from Calcutta University (2005).
He has been teaching Political Science at Sree Chaitanya College, Habra, West Bengal since December 1985. Presently, he is Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Basu has also worked as the Guest faculty at Post Graduate Departments of Political Science at University of Kalyani (1987-2006) and Netaji Subhas Open University, WB (2003-09). For more than a decade, since 2001, he had delivered Special Lectures on “Cultural Politics” at Rabindra Bharati University. He has acted as Resource Person during Refresher Courses and pre-Ph.D. courses at various universities, including University of Calcutta.
He has presented papers and chaired sessions at different national and international conferences/seminars.
A regular contributor to academic journals/books and popular dailies, periodicals, Dr. Basu often appears on various channels as political commentator. He specialises in Modern Indian Political Thought & Politics and Socialist Thought and also has serious interest in the issues related to forced migration in contemporary South Asia and people’s ‘sustainable rights’ in India.
Books Published/Edited:
1. The Poet and the Mahatma: Engagement with Nationalism and Internationalism, Progressive Publishers, Kolkata, 2009.
2. The Fleeing People of South Asia: Selections from Refugee Watch, [Edited] Anthem Press, New Delhi, 2009.
3. Politics in Hunger-Regime: Essays on the Right to Food in West Bengal [Jointly edited with Geetisha Dasgupta] Frontpage, Kolkata, 2011.
4. Forced Migration and Media Mirrors, Frontpage, Kolkata, 2014 (Forthcoming)
Some of the Articles published in journals:
English
1. Book-review article in Buddhadeva Bhattacharyya (ed), Society &
Change, Calcutta, 1989, Vol. VI. Nos. 3 & 4.
2. ‘The East-West Question and Tagore’, in Tarapada Roy (ed), West Bengal, (Tagore Number), Calcutta, May 1992.
3. Book-review article in Buddhadeva Bhattacharyya (ed), Op. Cit, 1993, Vol. IX. No. 3.
4. Book-review article in Dr. Saumendra N Bera (ed), Calcutta University Journal of Media and Communication, Calcutta, 2003, Vol.
1, No 1.
5. ‘Experiencing Civil Society in West Bengal’ in Amartya Mukhopadhyay (ed), Civil Society and Global Governance: Indian Experience, Dept. of Political Science, University of Calcutta, 2009.
6. ‘ Globalisation and Right to Information: The Indian Scenario’ in Policies and Practices, Kolkata, June 2010, No. 35
7. ‘When the ‘Iron Rule’ Breaks Down: The State of Governance in Contemporary West Bengal’ in Amartya Mukhopadhyay (ed), Adapting Governance to Change: Lessons from and for West Bengal Politics, Dept. of Political Science, University of Calcutta (Forthcoming)
Bengali
1. ‘Mikhail Bakhtin: Upanyaser Samasya’ (on Bakhtin’s theory of the Novel) in Benoy Ghosh (ed), Yogosutra, Kolkata, October 1994.
2. ‘Jati, Jatiyata o Jatiyatabad’, (on Nationalism as a process of abstraction) in Benoy Ghosh (ed), Yogosutra, Kolkata, July 1995.
3. ‘Artha-Anarther (Uttar) Adhunik Dhanda o Bakhtin’ (on Bakhtin and Postmodernism), in Arun Bandyopadhyay (ed) Ebong Eisomoy, Kolkata, March-May 1996.
4. ‘Atma o Shasan’ (on Michel Foucault’s concept of ‘Governmentality’) in Chiranjit Sur (ed), Alochona Chakra, Kolkata, August 1998.
5. ‘Habermas: Asampurna Swapnapuraner Golpo’ (on Jurgen Habermas’
concept of Modernity) in Chiranjit Sur (ed), Op. cit, July 2003.
6. ‘Iraq Juddha’ in Anil Acharya (ed) Anustup (Special Number on Iraq Issue), Kolkata, 2003.
7. ‘Bidhannagar/Vishwanagar’ (on changing faces of urbanization in Bidhanagar/Salt Lake), in Ashok Sen (ed), Baromas, Kolkata, October 2005.
8. ‘Dabli Hater Banke’ (on the politics and destitution of tea-gardens in North Bengal) in Ashok Sen (ed), Baromas, Kolkata, October 2006.
9. ‘Ashanta Nepal: Prajatantrer “Prachanda” Pathe’ (on the recent Maoist politics in Nepal), in Nalini Kumar Chakraborty, (ed), Kalpratima, Kolkata, May-July, 2007.
10. ‘Mukhomukhi: Giorgio Agamben’ (an article based on interview with Giorgio Agamben) in Chiranjit Sur (ed), Alochona Chakra, Kolkata, January 2009.
11. ‘Noirajya o Shrinkhala: Gandhijir Chintabhavna’ (Anarchy and Discipline: Gandhi’s Thought) in Nandimukh, Kolkata, January 2010.
12. ‘Notun Rajnitir Alo-adhari’ (on the recent trends in politics in West Bengal), in Anindya Bhattacharyya (ed), Ekak Matra, Kolkata, July 2010.
13. ‘Shasiter Ganatantra’ (on the Democracy of the Governed’) in Ashok Sen (ed), Baromas, Kolkata, October, 2011.
14.‘Adim Sangraher Katha’ (on Primitive Accumulation) in Ashok Sen (ed), Baromas, Kolkata, October, 2012 (Forthcoming).
15. ‘Bangiya Buddhijibi Samparke Je Du-Char Katha Ami Shikhe Phelechhi’ (on Bengali Intellectuals: Past & Present) in Anil Acharya (ed) Anustup (Special Number on Intellectuals), Kolkata, 2013.
Some of the Articles published in books:
English
1. ‘Personal Man in the “world”: The Politics of Tagore’s Aesthetics’, in Tarun Kumar Banerjee and Debesh Roychowdhury (ed), Colonial India: Ideas and Movements, Progressive, Kolkata, 2001.
2. ‘State: In Europe and In the Third World’, Satyabrata Chakraborty (ed), Political Sociology, Macmillan, New Delhi, 2005.
3. ‘Right to Information in a Hunger Regime’ in Sibaji Pratim Basu and Geetisha Dasgupta (ed), Politics in Hunger-Regime: Essays on the Right to Food in West Bengal, Frontpage, Kolkata, 2011.
4. ‘Globalisation and Right to Information’ in Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury and Ishita Dey (ed.), Sustainability of Rights after Globalisation, Sage, New Delhi, 2011.
5. ‘Tagore’s Notion of the ‘Orient’: A Space Beyond Nationalism’ in Debnarayan Modak and Manan Kumar Mandal (ed), Parashmanir Pradip Tomar (A Bilingual Collection of Essays on Tagore published on the occasion of his 150th Birth Centenary), Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata, 2011.
6. ‘The Chronicle of a Forgotten Movement: West Bengal – 1959 Revisited’ in Samir Kumar Das edited volume on Democracy and Violence, OUP, New Delhi (Forthcoming)
Bengali
1. ‘High Society: Swechchhachari Swapna o Utopia’ (A literary Review of Shakti Chattopadhayay’s novel, High Society), in Sunil Gangopadhyay (ed), Prasanga Shakti Chatopadhyay (On the Poet Shakti Chatopadhyay), Bikalpa, Kolkata, 2000.
2. ‘Mahatma Gandhi: Moula Prashna – Moulik Bhavana’, in Satyabrata Roychodhury (ed), Bharatbarsha Rashtrabhavana, Ekushe, Kolkata, 2001.
3. ‘Krishna: Raja toirir Raja’ (on politics of Krishna), in Shuvankar Mukhopadhyay (ed), Krishnacharit, M.C. Sarkar, Kolkata, 2001.
4. ‘Rashtra: Europe o Tritiya Vishwe’, in Satyabrata Roychodhury (ed), Rashtra, Samaj, Rajniti, Ekushe, Kolkata, 2002.
5. ‘Rajnitir Path, Pather Rajniti’, in Dipak Kumar Das (ed), Rajnitir Tattwakataha, Ekushe, Kolkata, 2005.
6. ‘Chhinnamul Rajnitir Utsa Sandhane’ (on the Politics of the Bengali Refugees) in Semanti Ghosh (ed.), Deshbhag: Smriti ar Stabdhata (Partition: Memory and Silence), Gungchil, Kolkata, 2008.
7. ‘Nari o Kshamatayan’ (on Women’s Empowerment) in Rajshri Basu and Basabi Chakraborty (ed.), Prasanga Manabividya (on Women’s Study), Urvi Prakashan, Kolkata, 2008.
8. ‘Swikaraktir Andhar–Alo: Golap Keno Kalo’ (A literary review of a Bengali Novel by Budhhadev Basu), in Budhhadev Basu Shatabarsha Samiti edited/compiled Centenary Volume on Budhhadev Basu , Dey’s Publishing, Kolkata, 2008.
9. ‘Prachya-Pratichyaer Bhinnata o Rabindranather Visva-bhabana’ in Minakshi Singha (ed), Rabindra Drishtite Samaj o Samakal, Nababharati Prakkashan, Kolkata, 2011.
Articles in Newspapers and magazines:
English
1. ‘A Nation without a Mirror’ in C. R Irani (ed), The Statesman, Calcutta, 14 August 1997.
2. ‘Deconstruction of Postmodernism’, in C. R Irani (ed), The Statesman, Festival Number, Kolkata, 2001.
Bengali
Regularly contributes to Ananda Bazar Patrika (a Bengali daily) & Desh (a Bengali fortnightly) as political commentator and book-reviewer.
