Sociologists generally tend to consider crime as a normal and inseparable feature of every society, reflecting the state of its health. Social scientists are thus drawn to the inter-relationship between socio-economic forces and patterns of criminal behaviour. By unfolding aspects of social aberration and dysfunction, the history of crime and criminality has now carved out its own niche in historical literature. Dr. Arun Mukherjee’s book is a pioneering work in this new genre of research which unfortunately is yet to develop itself in the Indian context. Taking Bengal as a case study, it explodes the colonial myth of ‘hereditary criminal tribes’ while establishing clear linkages between scarcity and crime. Dr. Mukherjee’s treatment of the migration matrix of industrial workers vis-?-vis crime and communal disturbances along with the response of colonial administrators highlight the inter-weaving patterns of crime and public disorder. Each chapter presents material of considerable interest for historians, sociologists and criminologists alike. This book will also be a valuable aid to professional policemen for broadening their perspectives on criminal behaviour, crime trends and factors influencing regional variations in the pattern of crime. Besides, the appendices will surely stimulate new lines of enquiry. His professional back ground and a discerning eye for details explain the facility with which Dr. Mukherjee has been able to identify the missing links in some of the popular hypotheses concerning crime and criminality and suggest new interpretations of various facets of public disorder. Some of the findings of the research have already been published in journals such as the Indian Economic and Social History Review and the Economic and Political Weekly and havae received wide acclaim.
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