This book details the evolution of Bengali culture (in both Bangladesh and West Bengal) since antiquity and argues for its modernization. Originally peripheral to Hindu civilization based in North India, Bengali culture was subjected to various forms of Sanskritization. Centuries of invasions (1204-1757) resulted most notably in the Islamization of Bengal. Often there were conflicts between Sanskritization and Islamization. Later colonization of Bengal by Britain (1757) led to a process of Angli-cization, which created a new middle class in Bengal that, in turn, created a form of elitism among the Bengali Hindu upper caste. After British rule ended (1947), Bengali culture lost its elitist status in South Asia and has undergone severe marginalization. Political instability and economic insufficiency, as reflected by many quantitative and qualitative indicators, are common and contribute to pervasive unemployment, alienation, vigilantism, and instability in the entire region. A Story of Ambivalent Modernization in Bangladesh and West Bengal is appropriate not only for Bengali intellectuals and scholars but for sociologists, political scientists, cultural anthropologists, historians, and others interested in a case study of how and why a given culture becomes derailed from its path toward modernization.

Encourage students to think critically about social work practice with a multidisciplinary, theoretical approach Contemporary Human Behavior Theory: A Critical Perspective for Social Work Practice takes a multidisciplinary, theoretical approach to HBSE and provides a consistent analytical framework for readers to examine both traditional and contemporary theories. Students are encouraged to develop their critical-thinking skills as they explore each theory and analyze the social, ideological, and economic structures of society that impact individual problems. Each chapter includes coverage of the research that supports a particular theory, an analysis of the validity of that research, and a discussion of contemporary issues. Updated with material that is critical to social work practice today, the 4th Edition includes new cases with practice application exercises, and expanded content on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons' development and empowerment.