This revisionist exploration of the decline of caste-based politics in twentieth-century Bengal argues that it was as much the result of coercion as of consent. It traces this process through the political career of Jogendranath Mandal, the leader of the Dalit movement, over the transition of Partition and Independence.

Sen argues that the decline of caste-based politics in twentieth-century Bengal was as much the result of coercion as consent.