Port Labour Mobilisation and Anti-Colonial Politics in Bengal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm2024.v04.n01.016Keywords:
Port Labour, Anti-Colonial Politics, Bengal, Labour Mobilisation, Colonial Economy, Working-Class Resistance, Trade UnionismAbstract
In order to show how dock workers and marine labour communities were important players in the larger fight against British colonial power; this study explores the historical relationship between port labour mobilization and anti-colonial politics in Bengal. The paper makes the case that the port of Calcutta served as a hub for imperial trade as well as a vibrant political arena where class consciousness and nationalist sentiment collided, drawing on labour history, colonial economic policy, and nationalist political organizations. A sizable workforce of migrant and casual labourer’s, who endured difficult working conditions, racial discrimination, and exploitative wage systems, was crucial to colonial port administration. Over time, these systemic injustices led to the development of collective complaints, which fuelled organized opposition and labour solidarity. The study shows how labour mobilization in the port industry; via strikes, union activity, and involvement in nationalist movements; helped Bengali working-class communities become more politicized. It also looks at how left-leaning labour groups and nationalist leaders tactically involved port workers, turning labour disputes into more extensive anti-colonial political activism. The book illustrates how economic exploitation under colonial capitalism gave rise to forms of resistance that went beyond strictly industrial demands by examining significant labour unrest moments and their ties to nationalist politics. Thus, the mobilization of port labour symbolized a challenge to imperial authority as well as a fight for workers’ rights. In the end, this study contributes to a better understanding of how class-based movements interacted with nationalist politics in late colonial India and emphasizes the importance of labouring classes in forming Bengal’s anti-colonial public sphere. As a result, the study reframes port labour as an active historical force within the broader context of India’s anti-colonial fight rather than as a marginal industrial group.
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