Reinterpreting the Santal rebellion

Australian historian Peter Stanley in his book sheds light on the Santal rebellion, an uprising against oppressive zamindars in 1855 that has been largely overlooked by historians

Hul! Hul! The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in Bengal, 1855

Author: Peter Stanley

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 369

Price: Rs 699

Narrative retellings of historical events serve one purpose. But introducing ignored perspectives enhances understanding and also makes for a fuller understanding. In Hul! Hul! The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in Bengal, 1855, Australian historian Peter Stanley does this and more.

In the introduction, Mr Stanley examines British military records that, he says, weren’t completely deployed by previous historians in the telling of the Santal insurrection, which, in fact, isn’t documented enough. Though he confesses that the “Santal rebellion has been explained virtually from