Product Description
Bangladesh is a new name for an old land whose history is little known to the wider world. A country chiefly famous in the West for media images of poverty, underdevelopment, and natural disasters, Bangladesh did not exist as an independent state until 1971. Willem van Schendel's history reveals the country's vibrant, colourful past and its diverse culture as it navigates the extraordinary twists and turns that have created modern Bangladesh. The story begins with the early geological history of the delta which has decisively shaped Bangladesh society. The narrative then moves chronologically through the era of colonial rule, the partition of Bengal, the war with Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh as an independent state. In so doing, it reveals the forces that have made Bangladesh what it is today. This is an eloquent introduction to a fascinating country and its resilient and inventive people. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A nice and timely introduction to Bangladesh
I was for a long time on the lookout for a handy book on Bangladesh to give as gifts to my non-bengali friends; so that they appreciate the richness of the bengali culture. Now that this book is on the market I can safely update my friends on my country.
However, it is something magical with the author's erudition to summarize 2000-plus years of history into a 370 page book. He had passed without doubt. He started with the prehistory and ended with the 21st century - a feat that will not be overlooked by any careful reader. For the sake of conciseness, there may be several important omissions. But I shall argue for the author's side that given the breadth and depth of the history, also given the short time a modern reader has to his expense - this is the best trade-off that one can make without loosing conformity. An additional benefit are the pictures which are quite uncommon among the books on Bangladesh. It seems that they are carefully chosen from various parts of the real contemporary Bangladesh gives the reader a sense of the place, time and people. ... Read more

Product Description

"This is a love story based on the author's ongoing affair with an exotic land.... [Novak] captures the reader's attention, admiration and sympathy and then describes straightforwardly the external and internal elements of thinking and policy that are detrimental to the country's survival." -- Foreign Service Journal

"... personal and well-informed analysis... Another fine addition to the 'Essential Asia Series'." -- Asiaweek

"This rich meditation on the land and people but especially the waters of Bangladesh is a masterpiece of journalism." -- The Reader's Review

"... beautiful, even lyrical account... " -- Orbis

"As an introduction to Bangladesh this book is invaluable... " -- Current History

A positive and hopeful presentation of Bangladesh by a writer who loves the country while recognizing its many faults. It is both a scholar's and an insider's view of Bangladesh, its history, geography, politics, and culture.

Customer Reviews (6)

Novak writes how a Bangali feels about Bangla desh
As a Bangladeshi-American, I am disturbed at the number of publications potraying her as destitude, poor and disaster prone. Novak tries to disprove this 'theory of Bangla desh' and shows Bangladesh in the reality, like any Bangladeshi would. Reading the book at times felt like a Bangladeshi has written it. Novak's description of water, seasons and women of Bangladesh are true to the bone and I wish more people in the American media would have read this book before writing their presentations on Bangladesh. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to know more about Bangladesh or for anyone visiting Bangladesh and for all Bangla deshis outside of Bangla desh.

Novak describes Bangla Desh as a Bengali would:
I was shocked to find out that someone from a western country could comprehend how a Bengali feels about Bangla desh. Me as a Bangla deshi always knew Bangladesh like the way Novak describes her. And quite the opposite of how the US media potrays Bangladesh! I thank Novak for writing such a wonderful book. I hope more books like this are written rather than media's obsessive relience on negative stereotyping of Bangladesh. PS: This book was published in 1993 and I think a next edition has become essential since the democtatic transition of the 1990's.

Best book I have read on Bangladesh
This is absolutely the best book to read about BanglaDesh. I loved the way Novak describes the seasons and connection to the Bangladeshi people. I have visited Bangladesh a few months back and I am glad I read this book before. But I do wish there was a newer edition as this version was written a few years back.

a beautiful potrayal of Bangla desh
Those who know about Bangadesh other than from media's perspective, see it as a nation full of promises and contradiction. A land so beautiful and bountiful yet so much devastation from nature and man-made. Novak keenly provides the details of how colonial rule devastated an otherwise wealthy nation into destitude and poverty. He also draws wonderful contradiction between US history and that of Bangladesh. A truly wonderful read.

Lamentable
There seems to be increasing interest in South Asia. In light of the revolutionary study of South Asia in the last 20 years, most books written about South Asia are now inappropriate. Most of the coverage has been onIndia and Pakistan with little available for Bangladesh. This has made avacuum all to readily filled by travellers who wish to give us a singlecompendium on the whole of Bangaldesh. The scale of activity surroundingIndia & Pakistan has separated the men from the boys, the excellentfrom the wannabes. With a lack of books on Bangladesh, on the other hand,we have writers such as Novak, who do not have a clue about their subjectgiving us, the 'western' reader what 130 million people are. This book istruly woefully undergraduate and will probably be bought by unsuspectingbut sincere people who will want to know something about this country.Hopefully, books such as this, which I would say is Orientalism in action,will provide as an example what not to buy. Indeed, it makes for richcriticism. But it is beyond the scope of this article to get into it. Infact, I have dedicated enough time to a book that really is not worthdedication much time to. In short, this man in his writing seems to claimto know the Bangladeshi and presents them to us. But he doesnt. Not by along shot. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a study of the changing relationship over time (1856-1994) between the Rishi, an ex-Untouchable jati of Bengal/South-West Bangladesh, and various groups of Catholic missionaries. The book's originality and importance lies in its multi-disciplinary approach, which combines anthropological fieldwork, historical research, philosophical enquiry and contemporary missiological debates. Moreover, it addresses issues of great current relevance in its discussions of Orientalism, Neo-colonialism and Otherness. ... Read more

Product Description
I was born in Bangladesh and lived there until my early forties. Although now I live in Australia, I keep in touch with Bangladesh almost on a daily basis. Though I was only fourteen at that time, too young to directly participate in the guerrilla war or not brave enough, like most people in Bangladesh, I experienced the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh from a close quarter. The war left an indelible mark on my young but very politically conscious mind, like most people of our generation. I always had a keen interest in the events surrounding the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh, and the subsequent events that led to today’s Bangladesh. I have extensively collected and read almost anything that was published on those key events in Bangladesh - but, until now, I never really tried to structure and link my disjointed understandings. So I decided to write it down - my understanding and analyses of the events, based on my personal experience, readings and hindsight. These are essentially my personal analyses of the events.

It is a shared journey of me and Bangladesh as I experienced it.
... Read more

Product Description
A wide-ranging survey of the Indian sub-continent, Modern South Asia gives an enthralling account of South Asian history. After sketching the pre-modern history of the subcontinent, the book concentrates on the last three centuries from c.1700 to the present. Jointly written by two leading Indian and Pakistani historians, Modern South Asia offers a rare depth of understanding of the social, economic and political realities of this region.The new edition includes a rewritten, accessible introduction and a chapter by chapter revision to take into account recent research. The second edition will also bring the book completely up to date with a chapter on the period from 1991 to 2002 and a discussion of the last millennium in sub-continental history.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Disappointing
The book does not provide nearly enough information to truly understand the complexities of the situations. It presents a somewhat biased view, as one author is Pakistani and the other is a member of Subhas Chandra Bose's family (and so naturally has less than glowing praise for the Congress leadership at the time of independence). The book is often repetitive, making the same points in multiple chapters. It attempts to sound more intellectual than it really is, through the use of complicated vocabulary, while presenting a rather simplistic history of the region. Overall, a disappointing book.

Hackneyed
The book lacks originality and boldness, that is required for a post-colonial understanding of the past 300 years of Indian history.

Lacks depth
This is an eighth grade level account of India's history written in a high-sounding English. Also, this book assumes some familiarity by the reader with the past of India, but I think that if you already know that much, you do not need this book.
Perhaps, and only perhaps, the books suffers from mediocrity because the two authors, one of Indian and the other of Pakistani origin, had to make compromises in the emphasis they could jointly place on the aspects of modern India's history which are interesting to the younger generation. One such aspect is the causes and consequences of the partition of India, the role of three parties - the British, Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. The book seems to shy away in taking a hard and penetrating look at this. There are hardly any citations to original sources where one could look for more detail.
There are so many other good books where you can find modern Indian history covered at greater depth and width. If you have limited amount of money to spend to buy a good introductory book, then find another one.

Disappointing
This book will disappoint anybody with a decent knowledge of the history of India. While this book provides is a good general review of the events in the subcontinent over the last 300 years, it is not rigorous in its treatment of various events that have occured.

However, the authors have admirably condensed 300 years of history in a small text and thus the book merits three stars.

Concise--Provides new perspectives on history of South Asia
I enjoyed reading this book, it is a concise and easy reading. It makes few but strong points--political economy of colonialism, freedom movement and also describes, what is known as the 'People's history' of South Asia. More focus has been given to Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. I wish there was some on more stuff on Sindh, NWFP, Nepal and so on.

A must read for those who are inteested in South Asia. ... Read more

Product Description
There is no statistical evidence that the frequency of flooding in Bangladesh has increased during the 20th century. There is indication however, that the inter-annual variation of floods and the areal extent of big events have increased since 1950. Is it really true that deforestation and land use practices of the Himalayan farmers are to blame for the recurring and devastating monsoon floods in the plains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra? This book presents new evidence resulting from a research project on floods in Bangladesh in the context of highland-lowland linkages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

futile remedies?
The reader might despair of Bangladesh after reading this book. It describes the massive overcrowing of > 100 million people on a riverine delta. Subject to annual flooding, as has just happened last week. In this case, due to a cyclone.

The book describes how most of the land is at sea level. Actually quite fertile, due to the silt deposited by the rivers, that builds up the delta. Historically, this very fertility led to today's huge population. But the episodic flooding (quite apart from the cyclones) gives a concomitant death toll and massive property damage. The latter being inflicted on people with already very little.

Various remedies are proposed. The reader might ponder the efficacies of these. Well meaning, though maybe just palliatives. If much of the population could migrate to other countries, that would ease many of the problems. But India is the only obvious choice, and is unlikely to permit this. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bangladesh," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bangladesh in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bangladesh when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bangladesh, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Richly illustrated, this book is a must eading for a clear understanding of sensitive and poignant ethos of Bengalis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

About the Book/Contents
About the Book :
A fabulous compilation of life and times of Bengal 100 and more years ago. Over 115 histories and biographies with illustrations, make this journey into the past a very special one. This is the first representation of the most characteristic architectural and natural beauty of Bengal. Not just beautiful words, painted pictures, but actual photographs have been taken by the author himself. In the early nineteenth century this was a stupendous task of intellectual and physical labour. Thanks to this mammoth effort of A. Claude Campbell, we have available to us today an authentic, personally vouched and researched documentation of a very important era in the history of India.
Every spot described was personally visited by the author. Every Indian aristocrat mentioned in this compilation was actually visited and interviewed by the author, although it has to be mentioned that historical facts mentioned and stories related are as told to the author by the personages themselves and may leave much scope for argument.
Not only the well known historic buildings, archaeological remains, but coverage has been given to the less accessible parts of the country as well. Specially to the natural wonders, relics of by gone days.

Contents :
Volume I & II

PREFACE.-Lord Curzon-Sir Andrew H. Leith Fraser-The Late Sir John Woodburn

HISTORY OF BENGAL.-The Governors, Lieutemant-Governors and Viceroys-History of Murshidabad-Nawab Nazim Firadum Jah-Her Highness Nawab Shums-i-Johan

SOCIAL BIOGRAPHICAL SECTION
His Highness the Maharaja Sir Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur of Cooch Bihar-Nawab Sir Kadar Sayd Hassan Ali Mirza Khan Bahadur of Murshidabad-Maharaja Dhiraj Bahadur of Burdwan-Maharaja Sri Rameswara Singh Bahadur of Durbhanga-The Late Maharaja Sir Krishna Pratap Sahi Bahadur of Hutwa-Maharaja Sir Ravenshwar Parshad Singh Bahadur of Gidhaur-Maharaja Bahadur Sir Jotendra Mohun Tagore-Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhuj Deo of Mourbhanj-Maharaja Girija Nath Roy of Dinajpur-Maharaja Sir Harballabh Narayan Singh Bahadur of Sonbursa-Maharaja Surya Kanta Acharya of Mymensingh-Maharaja Manindra Chandra Nandy of Cossimbazaar-Raja Narput Singh Deo of Porahat Singhbhoom-Raja Sourindro Mohun Tagore-Raja Ranjit Sinha Bahadur of Nashipur--Rai Banamali Rai Bahadur of Pubna-Raja Promoda Nath Ray of Dighapattia-Rai Manmatha Nath Mitra Bahadur-Khan Bahadur Mirza Shajaat Ali-Rai Setab Chand Nahar Bahadur-Rai Mani Lal Nahar Bahadur-Prithvi Chand Lal Choudhry of Purnea-Khan Bahadur Mahmed Ali Nawab Chowdhury of Tippera-Kumar Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury of Santosh

CALCUTTA EARLY HISTORY.-Fort William-Siege of Calcutta-The Black Hole-Holwell Monument-Data of Modern Calcutta-Warren Hastings-Madame Grand

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.-Barrackpore Park-Belvedere and Southern Suburbs-Hastings House-Zoological Gardens-Kalighat and Garden Reach-The Royal Botanical Gardens-The Presidency General Hospital

THE MAIDAN.-Imperial Museum-St.Paul`s Cathedral-Eden Gardens-Modern Fort William-The High Court-The Town Hall-The River Hughly-The Bengal Nagpur Railway System-Seebpore College-Port Commissioner`s Office-East India Railway Offices

DALHOUSIE SQUARE AND ENVIRONS.-Royal Insurance Company`s Buildings-The Town of Calcutta North-Burra Bazar-Calcutta University

THE INDIAN NOBILITY OF CALCUTTA-The Tagore Family-Maharaj Kumar Sir Prodyot Kumar Tagore, Kt.-The Prasad-Tagore Castle-Emerald Bower

DACCA DIVISION.-Historical Retrospect-Nawabs of Dacca-Nawab Bahadur Salimollah-Nawab Bahadur Sir Ahsunollah-Nawab Bahadur Sir Abdul Ghuni

MODERN DACCA.-Places of Historical Interest in Dacca-The Great Kuttra-The Chowk-The Small Kuttra-Lall Bagh-The Fort-The Imambara-Tungi Bridge

RAJA - Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore-Dwarka Nath Tagore-Maharshi Devendra Nath Tagore-Maharaja Durga Churn Law-Maharaja Sir Narendra Krishna Deb Bahadur-Nawab Bahadur Abdul Luteef-Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman-Moulvi A.K.M. Abdus Subhan-Nawab Bahadur Syed Amir Hossein-Raja Degumbar Mitra

JHAMAPUKUR HOUSE.-Kumar Mamatha Nath Mitra-"Mohan Kanana" Dum Dum-Kumar Narendra Nath Mitra-Rai Bahadur Kailash Chunder Bose-Mr. Roostumjee Dhunjeebhoy Mehta-Mr. Heerjeebhoy Manackjee Rustomjee-Prince Dara Jah Mirza Muhammad Abdul Aly

THE "MUNSI" HOUSE OF TAKI AND BARAHANAGAR.-Family History of Babu Ramanath Ghose-The Mullick Family-Dr.Sarat Kumar Basu Mullick-The Late Dr.Trailakya Nath Mitra-Babu Neel Comul Mookherjee-Mr.R.N.Mookherjee-Babu Promatha Nath Mullick-The Late Kumar Radha Prosad Roy-Seth Dooly Chund-Rai Buddree Dass-Jain Temple-"Mopokim Niwas"

DARJEELING

STATE OF COOCH BEHAR.-His Highness the Maharaja Sir Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur-Her Highness Maharani Sunity Devee-Material Condition of the People-Agriculture and Manufactures-Historical Retrospect-Rai Calica Das Dutt-Places of Interest in Cooch Behar State-Cooch Behar Palace-The Marriage of Princes Sukriti Sundari of Cooch Behar

MURSHIZADA-Asif Kadar Sayud Wasif Ali Mirza of Murshidabad

PRESIDENCY DIVISION-Murshidabad Palace-Moulvi Khondar Fuzli Rubbee, Dewan-Babu Janaku Nath Paure,B.A., Naib-Dewan, etc.

MURSHIDABAD AND ENVIRONS-The Imambara-The Fort ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bangladesh," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bangladesh in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bangladesh when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bangladesh, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bangladesh," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bangladesh in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bangladesh when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bangladesh, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Chiefly documents. ... Read more

Product Description
The years immediately following the Bengal Famine of 1943 witnessed the consolidation of communal ideologies culminating in the riots of 1946 in Calcutta and the violence in Noakhali on 1946-47. This volume explores this period of Indian history and argues that the final phase of the anti-colonial struggle witnessed a clash of nationalism and communalism where class and solidarity against the colonial power was forgotten. ... Read more

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The classic missionary story of Dr. Viggo Olsen continues to thrill readers with its blend of excitement, insight, and inspiration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Worth the read for inspiration and faith building
For anyone curious about what it feels like to be deeply in tune with the purpose that God has for your life - you will find the great adventure described in detail.God's faithfulness through the good and bad are detailed with real examples. The book captures what it is like to be a follower of Christ to the "ends of the earth" - in this case Bangladesh.Admittedly, I did not have much interest in Bangladesh prior to reading this fascinating book, and I may not need to read any others because so much history is covered by Dr Olsen.Worth the read for inspiration and faith building.

Some parts very interesting
I read this book with an agenda.In the mid-1970s a little booklet called "The Agnostic Who Dared to Search" was available in Christian bookstores.It was taken from chapters 5 and 6 of Dr. Olsen's book.

It detailed how Dr. Olsen and his wife accepted the challenge proposed by her newly converted parents in order to bring an end to family arguments about religion.The Olsen's thought it would be easy to dust off college notes about errors in the Bible and silence the in-laws.About this time Dr. Olsen also revelled in telling nursing students their belief in a special creation by God was foolish and evolution is endorsed by thinking people everywhere.

The Olsens were surprised to discover the critiques they had in college notes exposing flaws in the Bible were themselves weak and faulty.They began to realize many things point to God, but which god?Perhaps other religions are as good as Christianity or even better.In time all criticisms of Christianity fell away and the Olsens believed in Jesus as the Son of God and their savior.

I used to give that small booklet to many people.Then as quickly as it appeared it became unavailable.I wanted to read the source book in its entirety for a complete context.That would be "Daktar..."

"Daktar..." adds some interesting examples of how God led the Olsens and their medical mission in Bangladesh.As noted in other reviews, it also spends many pages in detail about political developments in East Pakistan.For the average reader, these details numb the mind and take away from the story.

I am glad I read the book, but it could have been a lot shorter for my purposes.

A World at Change!!


The man of the hour, Dr. Olsen, is remarkably used of God to bring many to Christ in the country of Bangladesh in the 1960's and 70's where violent governmental unrest formed calculated demise.East Pakistan forcibly moved to an autonomous state to mold a parliamentary government, birthing death and destruction in its wake to freedom. Dr. Olsen, his medical team and hospital were spared razing through God's timely intrusion.

The book parts throughout to reveal many a miracle beginning with Dr. Olsen, himself.He was a riotous, sin-seeking man before the phenomenal change by Christ.One medical associate refused to conceive that he came to the Savior as he whole-heartedly believed it unfeasible. He was well aware of the magnitude of sins that controlled Dr. Olsen's previous being. God took this reprobate of a man and turned him into an on-fire believer who left a spiritual trail of productive Christianity.

Drawbacks to the book: It was hard to tread through as it was penned in a detailed manner that lacked reader-appeal with its lengthy facts; reading through political details can relax one to a slumbering snooze. I also felt much more scripture could have been supplied to enhance this work.In addition, the details of the miracles of Christ could have been expounded upon. It would have been great to hear more of the conversion of the heathen through the compassionate healing hands of Dr. Olsen.

Ready for a challenge?
When I told my pastor I was interested in third-world development, he gave me a dusty hardback copy of this book. It changed my outlook dramatically. All I can say is, when someone is totally yielded to God, real life is so much more exciting than fiction.

The book starts a little slowly, and sometimes I felt like Olsen was getting bogged down in painstaking theology issues, but I think that reflects the painstaking process the realization of truth was for him. Stick with it, because when the story picks up, you won't be able to put it down. Olsen and his team demonstrate a ministry that is pure gospel rather than cultural imperialism.

May change your mind about missionaries!
This man is extraordinary!While we desire wealth, security, good health, and so much more, Vic Olsen's autobiography touches my heart as I see the tremendous passion and commitment of a Christian missionary to help the people of Bangladesh while ignoring the superficial desires of our society.His life trumps the stereotype delusional missionary of the same era portrayed in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.You may reject his perspective that Jesus Christ is the Messiah (although he provides a logical defense), but think again what this man did because he committed his life to Jesus Christ.Is not this world better off because of this man's decision?Now, what am I going to do? ... Read more

Product Description
Some ten millions minority Hindus, with a handful of Buddhists and Christians, migrated to India after 1947 from the land mass ealier known as East Pakistan since 1947, after the descendant of the invading Muslims took their country. ... Read more

Product Description
Highlighting the dynamic, pluralistic nature of Islamic civilization, Sufia 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. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a fresh account, from a people's perspective, of the political struggles in East Pakistan that culminated in the emergence of an independent Bangladesh. The study draws upon original documents as well as the personal experience of the author, who was directly involved in these struggles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very informative
A well written book on a very important episode of Bangladesh. With appropriate reference, this book elaborates the events and analyzes the events carefully. Of course one may argue that the author uses leftist methods or portrays the events in leftist observations. However you cannot totally deduct the presence of the historian himself from the equation which he is laying out. One problem - the author uses long sentences, reminiscent of the old Indian English writing style, and the reader grapples with the meaning at the end of the long sentence. Thats irritating. ... Read more