Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya


Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya is a former Bengali diplomat and scholar of International relations. He is best known for his classic study The Making of Indian Foreign Policy, which is considered a classic in Indian scholarship in International Relations.

Career

Before becoming an academic, Bandypadhyaya had been a diplomat, entering the Indian Foreign Service in 1955 and reaching the level of Undersecretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, before resigning in 1960 to take up a university post in Kolkata. He remained at Jadavpur University until his retirement in 1993, advancing to the rank of professor, among other positions.

The Making of Indian Foreign Policy

Bandyopadhyaya's classic study is still considered an indispensable guide to the foreign policy-making process in New Delhi. The book's strength comes from an unusual combination of scholarly rigor and inside knowledge. Bandyopadhyaya develops a distinctive contribution to IR theory through a “hybrid” approach derived from Gandhi and Mao, on the one hand, and behavioralist systems theories, on the other. The study outlines the evolution of his thinking and the connections with his broader concerns with postcolonial nation-building.

Influence

Above all, Bandypadhyaya played a leading part in advancing Jadavpur University's School of International Relations and Strategic Studies, one of the few centers of political influence outside the national capital. The Making of Indian Foreign Policy is one of over a dozen books that Bandyopadhyaya has published on various topics. The majority of his works address the theory and practice of social and economic development in postcolonial states, particularly in China and India. They include studies of Indian nationalism and international communism, and Gandhi's social and political thought.

Publications