No.

9
October
2010

Founded in 2003
Department of Sociology, University of Calcutta Alipore Campus; 01, Reformatory Street, Kolkata
700027 West Bengal; India; Phone: +91 33 2479 2926

Prof. Anjan Ghosh Memorial

Lecture
SAWB is going to organise Prof. Anjan Ghosh
memorial lecture on 18th December, 2010. Dr.
Editor’s Column: Ramchandra Guha, the eminent social scientist
has kindly accepted the invitation and will
deliver a talk on 'The Tragedy of the Indian
The Fourth Annual Conference of the Association will
Adivasi'.
probe in to the state of Sociology in the completed first
Venue: St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata
decade of the new century. There are many researchers
among us; and many who reflect up on continuities and
4th Annual Conference of the Sociological
changes in the discipline. It will be worthwhile to know
Association of West Bengal
how we draw up on the new theoretical insights and December 6, 2010
methodological innovations that have gained ‘visibility’ Venue: Barrackpore Rastraguru
in the present times; how we critically engage the new Surendranath College
Theme:
contributions. Sociology in 21st Century: the first decade
As we prepare our forth coming intellectual get Symposium on:
together, we sadly miss our critical thinkers who have 'Is Natural Science the only model of research
in Sociology?’
died in the recent past. Dr. Suraj Bandypadhyay of the
Dates to remember:
Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, is one such
Last date for Registration and Submission of
stalwart. He was a founding member and the first Abstracts (hard or soft copy)
President of the Association. 19th November, 2010
 6th Annual General Meeting of
the Sociological Association of
West Bengal
General Secretary’s Address
I would like to take this opportunity to
welcome you all to the 6th Annual General
meeting of Sociological Association of West
Bengal.
SAWB is moving through a difficult phase
having lost the support and affection of two of
our founding members in recent times and
presents to us the responsibility of carrying
forward their vision that forms the cornerstones
of our existence.
Professor Anjan Ghosh, Ex-President of SAWB,
who remained a source of motivations through
all our initiatives and programmes, passed away
on the 5th June, 2010 after a brief period of
illness. His unfortunate demise left us all in a
directionless state of shock and grief against
which we are still battling. His absence is felt by
one and all in every aspect of our professional
lives.
Professor Santanu Ghosh, Ex-Treasurer of
SAWB, passed away on the 14th of March, 2010
leaving with us an emptiness that will be very
difficult to fill. A founder member of SAWB,
Professor Ghosh successfully managed the
SAWB treasury through times of extreme
difficulty when we were faced with severe
financial restrictions. His ever enthusiastic
attitude and encouraging demeanor allowed us to
successfully organize and host all our Academic
SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010
Progammes, Seminars and Conferences with
wide participation. His eye for detail and
providence saw us successfully through many
financially challenging occasions.
The fraternity of sociologists was left without a
strong pillar of support with the demise of
Professor Deb Kumar Banerjee who deceased on
the 28th of February, 2010.
The untimely and sorrowful deaths of 3 of our
dearest colleagues, friends and supports have left
SAWB members and the fraternity at large
deeply grieving and alone.
SAWB had organized a condolence meeting to
pay our respects to Prof. Santanu Ghosh on 15th
May at Darbhanga Hall, C.U.,College Street
Campus. This meeting was chaired by
Prof.Abhijit Mitra, President, SAWB.
On 20th June SAWB organized a Condolence
meeting to honour the memory of Prof Anjan
Ghosh at 3p.m.at Bankim Shabhagriha,
Presidency College. Prof Pradip Bose chaired
the meeting.
Earlier in the period, the 3rd Annual Conference
was held successfully on 12th December, 2009,
was hosted at the St. Xavier’s College
(Autonomous), Kolkata surrounding the theme
‘West Bengal Today: Profiles in Sociology’.
Padma Bibhusan Prof. Andre Beteille, delivered
the keynote address at this occasion. A
Symposium on Social Movements in West
Bengal was organized and was chaired by Prof.
Rajat Subhra Mukhopadhyay. In addition, four
academic sessions were organized delving into
four parallel themes.
2

330 Registered Delegates attended the
Conference throughout the day resulting in a
lively and interactive ambience. Large number
of undergraduate and postgraduate students
joined with great enthusiasm. SAWB is steadily
but surely reaching out to the sociological
fraternity in West Bengal and beyond.
The Conference was given partial financial
support by Eastern Regional Centre of the
ICSSR.
For the first time the Conference, received a
financial support of Rs.100,000 (one lakh) from
the University Grant Commission.
We successfully published the second volume of
West Bengal Sociological Review which
compiled a wide variety and range of articles on
diverse paradigms selected carefully from
among the academic presentations at the 2nd
Annual Conference, 2008.
Recovering from the shock and grief we have
only been able to successfully publish two
Newsletters, No.7 and 8 in the preceding year.
We also successfully undertook the
Remobilization of the North Bengal Chapter of
SAWB which was a noteworthy initiative
undertaken by the Association this year. We
have witnessed significant increase in new
membership from the North Bengal Chapter and
this is a definite feather in the hat for SAWB in
its drive in reaching out to the fraternity. SAWB
collaborated with the Department of Sociology,
North Bengal University in a National Seminar
on Ethnicity and Social Unrest with active
participation of all the office bearers and with 3
academic presentations from Kolkata. It was
held on 29-30th March 2010.
SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010
We have also been able to maintain the
timeliness of the AGM of the Association.
SAWB HAS INITIATED a special fund
collection initiative to assist the family of Late
Professor Shantanu Ghosh. We have received
overwhelming support and cooperation from our
members.
We are unanimously opposed to destructive
political and extremist forces and condemn their
impact on the society at large.
Future Plan:
a. We look forward to organizing the 1st
Professor Anjan Ghosh Memorial Lecture
tentatively scheduled on the 18th of
December, 2010 where Professor Ram
Chandra Guha has kindly consented to
deliver the lecture.
b. We also look forward to obtaining ISSN
number for the West Bengal Sociological
Review.
c. We wish to undertake the Regularization of
the Registration of the Association with
appropriate authority.
d. We hope to establish a collaborative
association with the Department of
Sociology at the Maulana Azad College to
host a regional seminar on Human Rights
Education.
e. SAWB looks ahead to organize the long
overdue Colloquium in November of 2010.
We are thankful to the Department of
Sociology at the RSN College, Barrackpore
for extending their enthusiastic cooperation
to make this a success
Madhumita Sen
25th of September 2010
3
 SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF WEST BENGAL
4th Annual Conference of the Sociological Association of West Bengal
December 6, 2010

Venue: Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College

Theme:

Sub-themes:

1. SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT AT THE CROSSROADS

2. EMERGING IDEAS AND SPECIALIZATIONS
3. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Sociology developed between the two great social revolutions in Europe. Evidently it was a product of
social change. Needless to say that social change is continuous. But the contemporary changes in economy,
society and polity represent a high point in what is conceptualized as globalisation, a process which
evidently started much earlier in the European time scale. These changes are no longer confined to the west
European-north American societies. In the wake of myriad changes Sociology as a discipline has been
changing too. New theoretical insights which do not disengage from the classical foundation and
methodological innovations which keep alive the old epistemological debates have come up. There are
important contributions from intellectuals from the non-western societies. Like many we feel that we need
to review them. Knowledge grows by accretion which renders periodisation questionable. A new century
and a spent decade is not being taken here as an independent timescale. It is just for framing our
deliberations.

Conference Schedule:

Inaugural Session: 10AM-11.15AM

Symposium: 11.25AM-1.30PM
(Topic: 'Is Natural Science the only model of research in Sociology?’)
Lunch: 1.30PM-2.15 PM
Academic Sessions: 2.15PM-5.30PM
Valedictory: 5.30PM-6.00PM

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 4

Submission of Abstracts

With great pleasure we welcome you to the 4th Annual Conference of the Sociological Association of West
Bengal at Barrackpore. You are invited to submit abstracts for paper presentation at the Conference. Two
copies of the abstract in either English or Bengali in about 250 words should be submitted no later than 19th
November, 2010. Each abstract should carry the address and telephone number as well as e-mail address of
the author(s). Acceptance of the abstracts will be communicated in due course. Full paper (Hard Copy,
within 5000 words) is to be submitted by 29th November, 2010. Only the abstracts of those who register
before 19th November, 2010 will be published in the Conference Souvenir. Only full papers submitted to
the Joint Organising Secretaries, Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee and Dr Anjan Majumdar may be considered for
publication later in the Association’s Journal. Hard copies of abstracts should be sent to Dr.
Jyotiprasad Chatterjee to the following address:
Department Of Sociology, Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College, 6, River Side Road & 85
Middle Road, Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Pin: 700 120. Soft Copies of the
abstracts should be sent to Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee (e-mail: jyotichatto@rediffmail.com or
sawb@rediffmail.com )

Registration:

Registration Fee
Category of Delegates Fee
Up to 19th November, 2010 (early bird registration):
Delegate Registration Fee Rs.300.00

Student Delegate Registration Fee Rs.100.00

Spot Registration:
Student Delegates: Rs.150.00
All other Delegates: Rs.400.00

All members are requested to present their valid membership receipt at the time of
Registration.

We encourage early registrations

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 5

 4th Annual Conference of the Sociological Association of West Bengal
6 December, 2010
Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College
REGISTRATION FORM
To be filled in and sent with the Demand Draft to the Organizing Secretary by 19th November, 2010.
Tick (√) whichever option in the Form is appropriate for you
1. Name (Block Letters): ………………………………………………………………………

2. Designation………………………………… Age:………………… Sex…………………

3. College/ University/ Organization………………………………………………………….

4. Mailing Address: ……………………………………………………………………………

Phone: ………………… Mobile: ……………………… Email: ……………………………

5. Are you a vegetarian/ non-vegetarian? Vegetarian / Non-Vegetarian

6. Details of Demand Draft enclosed:

Amount: …………., Demand Draft No.: ………………… Drawee Bank: ……………………
(Crossed DD to be drawn in favour of “Sociological Association of West Bengal”, payable at Kolkata)

Date: Signature of the Delegate:

Notes: 1. Photocopy of the Registration Form can be used. Registration Fee is Non-refundable.

Please provide your personal information (Postal address, Telephone number, Email etc.) for
insertion in the Conference Souvenir to: jyotichatto@rediffmail.com and
molly.ghosh@gmail.com
The Registration Form and Fee should be sent by 19th November, 2010 to the Joint Organizing
Secretary, Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee, by crossed Demand Draft drawn in favour of
“SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF WEST BENGAL”, payable at Kolkata, to the following
address: Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee (Joint Organizing Secretary, 4th Annual Conference, SAWB),
Department of Sociology, Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College; 6, River Side Road & 85
Middle Road, Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Pin: 700 120. Telephone: (i)
9143005702, (ii) 9231625536
All the Delegates paying Registration Fee are advised to produce their receipts at the time of
registration at the Conference venue.

All other correspondence should be addressed to:

Dr. Madhumita Sen, General Secretary, SAWB, [Email: senmadhumita1@rediffmail.com]

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 6

 SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF WEST BENGAL
(Registered under the West Bengal Act XXVI of 1961, No.S/IL/17528 of 2003-04)
Regd. Office: Department of Sociology, University of Calcutta Alipore Campus; 01, Reformatory Street, Kolkata 700027 West
Bengal; India; telephone +91 33 2479 2926
Application Form for Membership

The Secretary,
Sociological Association of West Bengal,
Kolkata.
Sir/Madam,
I / We would like to be an Ordinary Member / Ordinary Student Member of the Sociological Association of West
Bengal and therefore remit Rs. -------------- by cash / cheque / draft as my / our membership fee. I / We have read the
Rules and Regulations of the Society and agree to abide by them.

Date________________ Yours sincerely,

Signature

1. Full Name (in block Letters): _______________________________________________________________

(Surname) (First Name)
2. Mailing Address: _________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

E-mail: __________________________________________ __________________

3. Permanent Address: ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________ 5. Date of Birth: _______________________

6. Research Area (s): _____________________________________________________________

7. Name of the Institution: _________________________________________________________
(Employed/Studying): ___________________________________________________________
8. Official Address: _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________ ________________________
9. Education: _____________________________________________________________
Degree University Year
_________________________________________________________________________________________
(For Office Use)
Membership No. _________________ Receipt No. and Date ____________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Annual Ordinary Membership: Rs. 100.00; Annual Student Membership: Rs. 50.00

Please remit the amount by cash/ cheque (Kolkata clearing)/draft (drawn in favour of the “Sociological Association
of Bengal”, payable at Kolkata) to Dr. Deba Prashad Chatterjee (Treasurer, SAWB), Department of Sociology,
Maulana Azad College, 8, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Kolkata – 700013

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 7

 Forthcoming Seminar/ UGC sponsored National Seminar on
Women, Health and Development in India:
Conference Notice & Issues and Challenges
Information To be organised by: Department of
Sociology, Karnatak University, Dharwad
XXVI ALL INDIA SOCIOLOGY on 25-26, February, 2011
CONFERENCE Sub themes:
27, 28 and 29 December 2010
¾ Inequalities in Women Health
RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY, CUTTACK ¾ Women Health among the
Theme: Disadvantaged
Development, Polity and Social ¾ Women Work and Health:
Tensions
Occupational Hazards
¾ Symposium – I:
Revisiting the development discourse in ¾ Ageing Women and Health
contemporary times ¾ NGOs and Women Health
¾ Symposium – II ¾ Women Health and Development:
State, civil society and social conflicts in India
Policies and Programmes
¾ Symposium – III
¾ Status of Women Health in
Social tensions and the politics of development
Karnataka
in Orissa
Paper alongwith abstract both in soft and
For any enquiry please contact: hard copies may be sent to:
Prof. D.R.Sahu Dr. C.A. Somashekharappa
Organising Secretary, Coordinator, UGC SAP, Dept. of Sociology
36th All India Sociological Conference 0836-2215235, 09845570176
Head, Department of Sociology, e-mail: somsujathamahesh@rediffmail.com
Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, 753003,
Odisha
SAWB congratulates Prof. Jacob John
Kattakayam (Thiruvananthapuram) and
The special fund raising drive to assist Prof. Tulsi Patel (Delhi) for being
the family of Late Prof. Santanu
Ghosh is on. We are overwhelmed by elected to the posts of President and
the sincere response from our Secretary of the Indian Sociological
honourable members
Society (ISS) respectively in the ISS
Election 2009
Please renew your membership
of SAWB

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 8

Obituary

Suraj Bandyopadhyay (1932 – 2010)

Sociological Association of West Bengal (SAWB) mourns the sad demise of Prof. Suraj Bandyopadhyay –
its founder member and also the first President. He was a faculty member of the Sociological Research Unit
(SRU) of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. Even after retirement in 1992 he remained associated with
the SRU Stat-Math Unit of the ISI as an Honorary Visiting Scientist. He completed his Ph.D. from McGill
University, Montreal, Canada in 1980. Prof. Bandyopadhyay received a number of academic invitations
and fellowships from different international institutions such as SIDA. He passed away on Wednesday the
29th September, 2010 at C.R. Rao Institute of Advanced Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science in
Hyderabad. As the first President of SAWB he played a very crucial role in the formative years of the
Association. His sudden demise has created a vacuum in the sociological fraternity of West Bengal and
beyond.

Now Available….

Journal of the Indian Sociological Society

BACK VOLUMES ON CD

The electronic version of Sociological Bulletin Volumes I to 55 digitised in one Compact Disc (CD) is now
available for sale. With this CD all articles published in the Bulletin from its inception in 1952 to 2006 can
be accessed in PDF format using author or article search function, books reviews can be accessed issue-
wise.
Contact Mr. Krishnan Namboodiri, Office Secretary, Indian Sociological Society, New Delhi.
SAWB members can contact Dr. Debaprashad Chatterjee at (e-mail: debaprashad@rediffmail.com)

Please participate in the 4th Annual Conference of the

Sociological Association of West Bengal (SAWB) to be held
at the Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College on 6th
December, 2010

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 9

 WEST BENGAL
SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW
All full papers submitted to SAWB in
its conferences will be peer-reviewed
and those selected by the reviewers will
be published in due course in West
Bengal Sociological Review (WBSR).

------ Editorial Board, WBSR, SAWB

BOOK POST

Department of Sociology, University of Calcutta

Back volumes of West Bengal Sociological
Review (1 & 2) are available for sale.
Please contact Dr. Madhumita Sen, To

Alipore Campus; 01, Reformatory Street,

General Secretary, SAWB
[Email: senmadhumita1@rediffmail.com]

Kolkata 700027 West Bengal; India

Sociological Association of West Bengal
If undelivered, please return to:

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the Husociology Blog

We value your comments on the Newsletter. Please contact: Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee
at: jyotichatto@rediffmail.com
Edited by Professor Prasanta Ray; Editorial Assistance: Dr. Jyotiprasad Chatterjee and published by Dr.
Madhumita Sen, Printed at Anyatama Printers, Kankinara, 24 Parganas (N), West Bengal

SAWB Newsletter No. 9 October 2010 10