This article explores the representation of peasants in colonial India, during the 1920s-1930s undivided Bengal. It examines how the historically marginalized and underrepresented rural population came to be constructed as objects of representation. It traces the development of representative claims made by various political parties and groups, both within and outside formal institutions of power, on behalf of rural society. The article discusses the challenges of categorizing the diverse rural population using the term "peasant" as an analytical category in the context of colonial Bengal. It highlights the dominance of the urban intelligentsia in provincial politics until the 1920s-1930s, which neglected rural issues. It then explores the emergence of different claims to represent peasants in electoral politics, with a particular focus on the political debates surrounding the Tenancy Reform in Bengal. Drawing on secondary sources and colonial archives, it raises questions about how substantive representation of peasants occurred, who championed their representation, and how they formulated their demands. Overall, the article sheds light on the complex dynamics of peasant representation. By examining the rise communal peasant politics in 1920-1930s Bengal, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of rural mobilization and the interplay between class and communal identities.

中文翻译：

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公共政治的兴起：在非选举和选举政治中代表“农民”，孟加拉 1920-1930 年代

本文探讨了 1920 年代至 1930 年代未分裂的孟加拉殖民地印度农民的代表性。它考察了历史上被边缘化和代表性不足的农村人口如何被构建为代表性的对象。它追溯了正式权力机构内外各个政党和团体代表农村社会提出的代表性主张的发展。本文讨论了在殖民孟加拉背景下使用“农民”一词作为分析类别对多样化农村人口进行分类的挑战。它突显了城市知识分子在 1920 年代至 1930 年代之前在省级政治中的主导地位，而忽视了农村问题。然后探讨了在选举政治中代表农民的不同主张的出现，特别关注围绕孟加拉租约改革的政治辩论。它利用二手资料和殖民地档案，提出了关于农民的实质性代表性是如何发生的、谁支持他们的代表性以及他们如何提出要求的问题。总的来说，这篇文章揭示了农民代表的复杂动态。通过考察 1920-1930 年代孟加拉兴起的公社农民政治，有助于更深入地理解农村动员的复杂性以及阶级和公社身份之间的相互作用。