Land of Two Rivers chronicles the story of one of the most fascinating and influential regions in the Indian subcontinent. The confluence of two major river systems, Ganga and Brahmaputra, created the delta of Bengal--an ancient land known as a center of trade, learning and the arts from the days of the Mahabharata and through the ancient dynasties. During the medieval era, this eventful journey saw the rise of Muslim dynasties which brought into being a unique culture, quite distinct from that of northern India. The colonial conquest in the eighteenth century opened the modern chapter of Bengal's history and transformed the social and economic structure of the region. Nitish Sengupta traces the formation of Bengali identity through the Bengal Renaissance, the growth of nationalist politics and the complex web of events that eventually led to the partition of the region in 1947, analyzing why, despite centuries of shared history and culture, the Bengalis finally divided along communal lines. The struggle of East Pakistan to free itself from West Pakistan's dominance is vividly described, documenting the economic exploitation and cultural oppression of the Bengali people. Ultimately, under the leadership of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971. Land of Two Rivers is a scholarly yet extremely accessible account of the development of Bengal, sketching the eventful and turbulent history of this ancient civilization, rich in scope as well as in influence.

Land of Two Rivers

Bangladesh did not exist as an independent state until 1971. Willem van Schendel's state-of-the-art history navigates the extraordinary twists and turns that created modern Bangladesh through ecological disaster, colonialism, partition, a war of independence and cultural renewal. In this revised and updated edition, Van Schendel offers a fascinating and highly readable account of life in Bangladesh over the last two millennia. Based on the latest academic research and covering the numerous historical developments of the 2010s, he provides an eloquent introduction to a fascinating country and its resilient and inventive people. A perfect survey for travellers, expats, students and scholars alike.

A History of Bangladesh

This volume examines the events which led to the political liquidation of the Muslim League in the 1954 provincial elections in East Pakistan and the subsequent undermining of the results of this victory through interventions from the Central Government. The work provides some insights into the struggle over the framing of the constitution of Pakistan. It traces the gradual subversion of the democratic process through conspiracy from above and compromises and collusion from within the political process culminating in the declaration of Martial Law in 1958. The book is likely to be instructive for students, scholars and general researchers and will provoke political debate in both Pakistan and Bangladesh."--BOOK JACKET.

The Emergence of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country of paradoxes. The eighth most populous country of the world, it has attracted considerable attention from the international media and western policy-makers in recent years, often for the wrong reasons: corruption, natural disasters caused by its precarious geographical location, and volatile political situations with several military coups, following its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Institutional corruption, growing religious intolerance and Islamist militancy have reflected the weakness of the state and undermined its capacity. Yet the country has demonstrated significant economic potential and has achieved successes in areas such as female education, population control and reductions in child mortality. Ali Riaz here examines the political processes which engendered these paradoxical tendencies, taking into account the problems of democratization and the effects this has had, and will continue to have, in the wider South Asian region. This comprehensive and unique overview of political and historical developments in Bangladesh since 1971 will provide essential reading for observers of Bangladesh and South Asia.

Bangladesh

History of Bangladesh

A wide network of rivers make Bangladesh one of the largest maritime nations in the world. Various types of inland marine crafts have been carrying cargo and passengers for thousands of years. Being self sufficient in resources, ancient Bangladeshis did not have to venture outside their nation and therefore, ocean borne navigation was never an important aspect of their life. Inland marine was an important feature in the lifestyle of Bangladeshis and will remain so for a long time.

Bangladesh Maritime History

Bangladesh has existed as an independent country only since 1971, but the history of the area contained in the present nation-state goes back to earliest times. This volume covers the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, British, Pakistani and contemporary periods.

Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh

Bangladesh, the eastern half of earth’s largest delta, Bengal, is today an independent country of 163 million people. Among the 98% ethnic Bengali population, above 90 percent practice Islam. Surprisingly, Buddhism was the predominant religion of the region until the beginning of the 2nd millennium. In the midst of a long and fierce Brahman-Buddhist conflict, political Islam arrived in Bengal in the very early 13th century. Against the background of the above history, this book tells the story of successive religious and political transformations, touching upon the sensitive subject of Bengali Muslim identity. Encompassing a period of more than a millennium, it narrates a political history beginning with the independent Muslim Sultanate and closing with the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh. The book concludes by discussing the present day, here termed “Authoritarian Secularism”.

The Political History of Muslim Bengal

The fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh greatly expands on the previous edition through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 700 cross-referenced dictionary entries on important people, places, events, and institutions, as well as significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects.

In 1971, the day after the Pakistan army surrendered to Indian army in Dhaka, four of us classmates at IIM Calcutta crossed over into Bangladesh. We travelled to Dhaka and returned after a week, traveling by train, bus, military jeep, fishing boat, bullock cart, but mainly our feet. In our interaction with people of the newly liberated Bangladesh, we experienced the full spectrum from being felicitated to being threatened. We were garlanded and served with fresh coconuts; we were also prodded in the back with bayonets in the middle of the night. Those experiences took us through a wide range of emotions – elation, grief, fear, happiness and relief. This book captures the emotional roller coaster ride that we, as youngsters, experienced at the birth of a nation. We relate our experiences as vividly as we had lived through them fifty years ago. The picture on the front cover has been taken by Mr. Manabendranath Mandal. It is being used with his permission.

Birth of Bangladesh

Highlighting the dynamic, pluralistic nature of Islamic civilization, Sufia M. Uddin examines the complex history of Islamic state formation in Bangladesh, formerly the eastern part of the Indian province of Bengal. Uddin focuses on significant moments in the region's history from medieval to modern times, examining the interplay of language, popular and scholarly religious literature, and the colonial experience as they contributed to the creation of a unique Bengali-Islamic identity. During the precolonial era, Bengali, the dominant regional language, infused the richly diverse traditions of the region, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and, eventually, the Islamic religion and literature brought by Urdu-speaking Muslim conquerors from North India. Islam was not simply imported into the region by the ruling elite, Uddin explains, but was incorporated into local tradition over hundreds of years of interactions between Bengalis and non-Bengali Muslims. Constantly contested and negotiated, the Bengali vision of Islamic orthodoxy and community was reflected in both language and politics, which ultimately produced a specifically Bengali-Muslim culture. Uddin argues that this process in Bangladesh is representative of what happens elsewhere in the Muslim world and is therefore an instructive example of the complex and fluid relations between local heritage and the greater Islamic global community, or umma.

Constructing Bangladesh

The war of 1971 that created Bangladesh was the most significant geopolitical event in the Indian subcontinent since partition in 1947. It tilted the balance of power between India and Pakistan steeply in favor of India. Srinath Raghavan contends that the crisis and its cast of characters can be understood only in a wider international context.

1971

Studies the rise of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan in the 1950s and 60s by showcasing the interactions between global politics and local social and economic developments.

Intimation of Revolution

Bangladeshi women recall the sexualized violence of the war of 1971, fought between India and what was then East and West Pakistan.

Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh

In 1996, Bangladesh celebrated its 25th anniversary. When the country became independent from Pakistan in 1971, it proclaimed itself a parliamentary democracy with four goals—democracy, secularism, socialism, and nationalism. This comprehensive introduction to Bangladesh's history, polity, economy, and society reassesses its successes and failures in reaching these goals after a quarter century of nationhood. Craig Baxter traces the development of national identity in the region, first as part of India and then of Pakistan, and the slow evolution toward statehood. He also explores the formative periods of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and British government that preceded Pakistani rule and subsequent independence. Anyone wishing to understand this poor, populous, but ambitious young nation will find this book an invaluable reference.

Bangladesh was once East Pakistan, the Muslim nation carved out of the Indian Subcontinent when it gained independence from Britain in 1947. As religion alone could not keep East Pakistan and West Pakistan together, Bengali-speaking East Pakistan fought for and achieved liberation in 1971. Coups and assassinations followed, and two decades later it completed its long, tumultuous transition to parliamentary government. Its history is complex and tragic—one of war, natural disaster, starvation, corruption, and political instability. First published in India by the Aleph Book Company, Salil Tripathi’s lyrical, beautifully wrought tale of the difficult birth and conflict-ridden politics of this haunted land has received international critical acclaim, and his reporting has been honored with a Mumbai Press Club Red Ink Award for Excellence in Journalism. The Colonel Who Would Not Repent is an insightful study of a nation struggling to survive and define itself.

The Colonel Who Would Not Repent

An active member of the U. S. Foreign Service until 2001, William B. Milam possesses an exhaustive knowledge of the history and culture of Bangladesh and Pakistan. His insightful study expresses a profound empathy for both countries and, with the death of Benazir Bhutto and the decline of Pervez Musharraf, could not be a timelier contribution to current debates concerning the stability of the region. Since 1971, Pakistan has evolved into a praetorian state plagued by army interventions and corrupt civilian governments. Nevertheless, the tunnel-vision of General Musharraf triggered a political implosion in 2007, and widespread dismay over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has led Pakistanis to vote overwhelmingly for unfettered civilian rule and the diminishment of religious parties. In contrast, the Bangladesh Army seems intent on returning control to civilians, having remained averse to power for the past seventeen years. Furthermore, Bangladeshi society isn't nearly as Islamicized as Pakistan's, though jihadi groups stand ready to exploit the government's weaknesses. Milam takes a hard look at the political and religious realities of both countries, especially the al-Qaeda-linked jihadi networks that threaten to permanently turn Pakistan into an ideological state. He also considers Islam's undeniable influence on the culture of both societies, and, in turn, the influence of these cultures on the tone and expression of Islam. Milam includes an examination of the fear and hostility Pakistan has exhibited toward India, which has resulted in three wars and at least one mini-war.

Bangladesh and Pakistan

Marking the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's Constitution, this book gauges its development from 1972 to 2022, focusing on its foundational goals, performances, and current challenges. The collection, presenting diverse but issue-specific chapters, shows how the people, political parties and leaders, and constitutional and legal institutions interact with each other in advancing, breaking, and remaking their Constitution. It examines the local context, parliamentary history, and interpretive tools adopted by the Supreme Court in understanding the Constitution as well as the future prospect of constitutional politics and practices. The work brings together legal professionals and constitutional law scholars to encapsulate the panorama of the country’s constitutional evolution. The authors look back to the history of constitution-making, to reflect critically on the present in light of the founding goals, spirits, and aspirations and with a view to offering a forward-looking and resilient vision of constitutionalism in Bangladesh. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and policy-makers working in the areas of comparative constitutional law and politics and South Asian Studies.

A History of the Constitution of Bangladesh

This book engages with the existing feminist scholarship on gender, nationalism and genocide to investigate the dominant representations of gender in the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh and juxtaposes the testimonies of survivors and national memory of that war to create a shift of perspective that demands a breaking of silence.

Gender, Nationalism, and Genocide in Bangladesh

"The Muslim Heritage of Bengal is a multidimensional work. . . . I am sure this book will add to the vista of knowledge in the field of Muslim history and heritage of Bengal. I recommend this work."—Dr A. K. M. Yaqub Ali, Professor Emeritus, Islamic History & Culture, University of Rajshahi "Khan's book provides invaluable information which will inspire present and future generations."—Dr M. Abdul Jabbar Beg, former professor of Islamic History and Civilization, National University of Malaysia A popular history that covers eight hundred years of the history of Islam in Bengal through the example of forty two inspirational men and women up until the twentieth century. Written by the author of the bestselling The Muslim 100. Included are the prominent figures Shah Jalal, Nawab Abdul Latif, Rt. Hon. Syed Ameer Ali, Sir Salimullah Khan Bahadur, and Begum Rokeya. Muhammad Mojlum Khan was born in 1973 in Habiganj, Bangladesh, and was educated in England. He is a teacher, author, literary critic, and research scholar, and has published more than 150 essays and articles worldwide. He is the author of The Muslim 100 (2008). He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Director of the Bengal Muslim Research Institute, United Kindgom. He lives in England with his family.

The Muslim Heritage of Bengal

Bangladesh: Reflections on the Water is a personal and penetrating overview of the land and its people. James J. Novak examines the economy, the importance of seasonal fluctuations in the lifestyle and psychology of the people, geography, history, music, art, poetry, ways of thinking, and political life. He also offers a novel interpretation of the Bangladesh independence movement, the only full-fledged expression of nationalism to appear in the country's modern history. This nationalism, expressed in poetry, prose, and song, is used to illustrate the interaction between religion and secular thought, language and culture, cultural expression, poetry, and art, and the transformation of culture into political thought.

The Bangladesh War of Liberation was fought in several fronts by people in all walks of life. While the main war is largely known by the battles fought by brave freedom fighters both inside and outside the borders of then East Pakistan, much of the war's success depended on the resistance and random acts of bravery by people in all nooks and corners of the country. The ranks of these unknown and forgotten fighters for liberty were filled by students, farmers, small shop keepers, and village wives. They are the unsung heroes of the war of liberation who people may not remember. The author of this book spent much of the dark nine-month period as a young chief of civil administration two sub-districts (called sub-divisions) of the then Dhaka district- Munshiganj and Manikganj. Like the vast majority of his civil service colleagues working in the country that time he served under the watchful eyes of a malevolent army dictatorship, helplessly watching the atrocities as they continued to occur during those terrible months. Like all Bengali government officers working in the country that time he was a suspect in the eyes of the occupation forces and was subject to surveillance. While working through the difficult times the author also had the occasions to hear and witness some courageous acts of our people that in their own way registered a protest against the atrocities, and even frustrated the cruel agents of Pakistan Government. The articles in this book are the author's personal accounts of events and occurrences in the most turbulent period of the national history of Bangladesh. Some of these are simply narrations of some dire events, some are stories of chicanery and treachery, and some are stories of bravery of people in the villages who suffered the tumultuous time. The book is an assembly of these articles around a common theme, and a message that 1971 was essentially a people's war, a war we all fought to rid us of an evil that had descended on us, and had launched a wanton act of aggression and mayhem. The recollections are expected to help our new generation to realize that our freedom did not come cheap; and that the harrowing experience of their previous generation and the murderous sufferings they endured knew no gender or religious boundaries. All of the articles were published earlier in Dailies and Magazines in Bangladesh.

Fight for Bangladesh

History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971

Rural History of Bangladesh

A Socio Political History of Bengal and the Birth of Bangladesh

History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971: Social and cultural history

Radical Politics and the Emergence of Bangladesh

Includes references to the politics of pre-partition Bengal.

Bangladeshi Nationalism

The history of Bangladesh is a tapestry of ancient civilizations, colonial struggles, and a quest for national identity, culminating in independence in 1971. Ancient Bengal was a hub of cultural and trade activities, influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism before the advent of Islam in the 12th century. The Mughal Empire brought a period of relative stability and prosperity in the 16th century. The British East India Company's control from the 18th century introduced Western education and legal systems but also economic exploitation. The Partition of British India in 1947 led to East Bengal becoming East Pakistan, a part of newly created Pakistan. However, linguistic and cultural differences fueled discontent, leading to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, where Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation after a brutal conflict. Today, Bangladesh continues to navigate challenges of development, democracy, and cultural identity.