Sufism and the emergence of Bengal’s syncretic culture
Review of ‘Needle at the Bottom of the Sea: Bengali Tales from the Land of the Eighteen Tides’ (University of California Press, 2023) translated by Tony K. Stewart
2m ago
Begum Rokeya: A redoubtable Muslim feminist and educationist
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was an autodidact who became a formidable champion of women’s rights and education when women in South Asia, especially Muslim women, were forced to live in subhuman conditions, almost like animals, or even worse than animals
4m ago
Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with Islamic culture and Muslims
The English poet W.B. Yeats once expressed his profound admiration for Rabindranath Tagore, describing him as “someone greater than any of us”.
6m ago
Rabindranath and Rokeya as Educational Pioneers
Rabindranath Tagore and Begum Rokeya are two iconic figures in South Asian literature and culture. However, their genius was not confined to writing alone but spread in many directions, including the sphere of education.
2y ago
A Season of Hope and Despair: Reminiscing My Dhaka University Days
I am one of the privileged few to have experienced Dhaka University—the nation’s citadel of higher education le plus excellent—from both sides of the spectrum, first as a student and then as an academic.
2y ago
Begum Rokeya’s Non-sectarian, Pluralist-Inclusivist Imagination
Bengali writer, educationist and pioneering feminist activist, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), popularly known as Begum Rokeya, was born at a critical juncture in South Asian history when hostility and bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims was a recurrent experience.
4y ago
Nationalism, Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism: Tagore’s Ambiguities and Paradoxes (Part II)
Like nationalism, Tagore’s perspectives on patriotism are also characterised by certain paradoxes and ambiguities; he was a fervid patriot, yet he openly denounced and deplored the sentiment of patriotism.
4y ago
Nationalism, Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism: Tagore’s Ambiguities and Paradoxes (Part I)
The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Certainly, Tagore was above this puerile mindset.
4y ago
August 29, 2024
Sufism and the emergence of Bengal’s syncretic culture
Review of ‘Needle at the Bottom of the Sea: Bengali Tales from the Land of the Eighteen Tides’ (University of California Press, 2023) translated by Tony K. Stewart
July 6, 2024
Begum Rokeya: A redoubtable Muslim feminist and educationist
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was an autodidact who became a formidable champion of women’s rights and education when women in South Asia, especially Muslim women, were forced to live in subhuman conditions, almost like animals, or even worse than animals
May 11, 2024
Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with Islamic culture and Muslims
The English poet W.B. Yeats once expressed his profound admiration for Rabindranath Tagore, describing him as “someone greater than any of us”.
July 23, 2022
Rabindranath and Rokeya as Educational Pioneers
Rabindranath Tagore and Begum Rokeya are two iconic figures in South Asian literature and culture. However, their genius was not confined to writing alone but spread in many directions, including the sphere of education.
April 30, 2022
A Season of Hope and Despair: Reminiscing My Dhaka University Days
I am one of the privileged few to have experienced Dhaka University—the nation’s citadel of higher education le plus excellent—from both sides of the spectrum, first as a student and then as an academic.
September 5, 2020
Begum Rokeya’s Non-sectarian, Pluralist-Inclusivist Imagination
Bengali writer, educationist and pioneering feminist activist, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), popularly known as Begum Rokeya, was born at a critical juncture in South Asian history when hostility and bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims was a recurrent experience.
April 4, 2020
Nationalism, Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism: Tagore’s Ambiguities and Paradoxes (Part II)
Like nationalism, Tagore’s perspectives on patriotism are also characterised by certain paradoxes and ambiguities; he was a fervid patriot, yet he openly denounced and deplored the sentiment of patriotism.
March 28, 2020
Nationalism, Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism: Tagore’s Ambiguities and Paradoxes (Part I)
The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Certainly, Tagore was above this puerile mindset.
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