Pamphlets have usually been regarded as ephemeral literature with little permanent impact. This work demonstrates the historical value of this genre of political literature. The propaganda pamphlets help historians place a finger on the pulse of an extraordinarily important historical period when new ideas concerning the nation-state the rights of the governed and forms of political protest complicated the political scene and opened up new fronts of conflict between the colonial state and the colonized subjects. This study devises innovative approaches to reading these pamphlets and generates new insights into the world of the pamphleteers thus providing the readers with a more nuanced understanding of the politics and political culture of early twentieth century Bengal. In the process the book makes an important contribution to the historical controversies that the politics of this period has generated among scholars of Indian nationalism

The origins of an idea -- Signs of the times : constructing a nation -- Legitimizing violence -- The battle for domination : state represssion of revolutionary pamphlets -- Summin up : an identity forged in battle -- Conclusion.

"Studies the pamphlet propaganda that was disseminated by the revolutionary terrorists in early twentieth century Bengal as a means of mobilizing support for the revolutionary movement through which they hoped to overthrow the colonial state"--