The 'Bedes' of Bengal

Download or read book The 'Bedes' of Bengal written by Carmen Brandt and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on 2018-09 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Bengali speaking regions of Bangladesh and India, the Bengali term bede today often evokes stereotypical imaginations of itinerant people. Of highly contested origin, the term has in the last two hundred years become the pivotal element for categorising and portraying diverse service nomads of the Bengal region. Besides an analysis of their portrayal in ethnographic and Bengali fictional literature, this book traces causes, reasons, and processes that have led to an increasing perception of these so-called `Bedes' as being ethnically different from the sedentary majority population.