Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta

Infobox University
name =Centre for Studies in Social Sciences
established =1973
type =Research Institution
director =Professor Sugata Marjit
city =Kolkata
state =West Bengal
country =India
campus =Urban
faculty =
students =
website = [http://www.cssscal.org www.cssscal.org]

The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC) is an autonomous research centre devoted to the research and advancement of the social sciences in South Asia. It is one of the leading social science think tanks in India and is also well known internationally.

History

In 1972 a national level committee, headed by Professor Sukhomoy Chakravarty, then Member, Planning Commission, and constituting of Professor Surajit Sinha and Professor J.P.Naik recommended the setting-up of social science research institutes in India, under the aegis of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, with one located in Calcutta. Within one year of the recommendations, immediately after the General Elections, this plan was implemented by the Government of India. The then Union Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture, Professor Saiyid Nurul Hasan, on assuming office, gave full support to the cause, both financially and intellectually, and was instrumental in founding the Calcutta Centre. Professor Bhabatosh Datta was appointed as the First-Chairman of the Executive Council, and Professor Barun De was appointed as its First-Director.

Academics

It runs the Research Training Programme (RTP) for M.Phil. level students. Ph.D. students of Calcutta University and Jadavpur University are also associated with it. The Centre has always had a strong faculty, boasting of several very well known scholars. It has regularly organised and published the R.C.Dutt Memorial Lecture in economics and S.G.Deuskar Lecture in history.

Administration

It is financed primarily by grants from the ICSSR, New Delhi, the Government of India, and the Government of West Bengal, with full academic autonomy. The present Chairman of the Board of Governors is Professor Sabyasachi Bhattacharya. The other members of the Board include the Director, Member Secretary of the ICSSR, Higher education Secretary of the Government of West Bengal, Vice-Chancellors of premier universities of West Bengal, especially the University of Calcutta, one eminent academic and senior Professors of the Centre. Shri Susanta Ghosh was appointed as its first and long-standing Registrar and still remains associated with its administration.

The main building of the CSSSC accommodates the main library, an archive, including a photographic archive and faculty offices. The new Jadunath Sarkar Resource Centre for Historical Research, housing an extensive collection of vernacular medium books, especially Bengali books and an impressive archive of Bengali newspapers and journals, was set-up at 'Jadunath Bhawan' at the turn of the present century. Other than a general collection of books, it also now has private collections of books and journals donated by eminent personalities and intellectuals of city as well as abroad. Professor Gautam Bhadra is in-charge of this Centre.

Location

The CSSSC was initially set up in a few rooms at the back of the Anthropological Survey of India, Calcutta. It started functioning fully once it was located at 10, Lake Terrace, Calcutta, the former residence of Sir Jadunath Sarkar. The building was built in the pre-independence days and is an example of twentieth century colonial architecture. The locality where it is situated is one of the more affluent areas of the city, boasting of old and sometimes heritage houses of former civilians and judges and is very close to the Calcutta Lakes, built before the departure of the British from India. The Centre remained in 'Jadunath Bhawan' from January 26, 1973 to March 1, 2000, when it was moved to its new premises at Baishnabghata-Patuli Township, Calcutta. The land on which the new building is built was bought in the early 1980s. 'Jadunath Bhawan' continues to serve as a department-cum-library and a guest house for the CSSSC.

The Centre, located on a road which takes off from the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, is close to the new Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

Eminent Faculty

*Amiya Bagchi
*Gautam Bhadra
*Dwaipayan Bhattacharya
*Dipesh Chakrabarty
*Partha Chatterjee
*S.K.Chaubey
*Debesh Ray
*Barun De
*Amitav Ghosh
*Ashok Sen
*Surajit Sinha
*Tapati Guha Thakurta
*Rudrangshu Mukherjee
*Gyanendra Pandey

Eminent former students

*Dwaipayan Bhattacharya
*Anuradha Chanda
*Atis Dasgupta
*Tapati Guha Thakurta

External links

* [http://www.cssscal.org/ Official website]