Bangladesh History, Politics, Economy, Society and Culture

This book consists of thirty diverse papers by leading scholars covering such varied themes as history, politics and governance, economy and development, and society and culture. Historical topics include the British colonial regime, the Bengali Muslim middle class, the origin of the Sonar Bangla concept, and the role of the superpowers during 1971. The papers on politics and governance examine the relationship between the state and religion, party politics and parliamentary behaviour, violence and the state, and the identity politics of indigenous peoples. The next group of papers covers different development policies, export competitiveness in the Indian market, the systemic poverty discourse, social business and the role of social forestry in poverty reduction. The final set of essays include the socio-cultural position of Bengali Muslims, family relationships of migrant workers, challenges of English language learning, and the emergence of the Bangla San (Era) and Bengali new year festival.