#ResearchMesearch
US Elections: Representation matters but it is not enough
Before the elections, a five-year-old boy asked his mother, my friend, if he would ever be able to be the President of the United States because of the colour of his Brown skin. This is a question that American girls, too, have been asking their parents forever.
Magical thinking in the time of Covid-19
I don’t remember exactly when I heard about the 2019 version of coronavirus, Covid-19, but I do know it was during my travels in Asia this past January.
Magical thinking in the time of Covid-19
Over the past few weeks, I have heard variations of “I don’t know why but I don’t think Bangladesh will be affected by Covid-19 in the way that other countries have been.”
Sexual Violence: Looking inward and thinking out loud
Every single day, a rapist is reported. Every. Single. Day. Let that sink in.
Election Day Hoopla
Election Day in Bangladesh is usually a festive occasion. The weather is wonderfully crisp. We are in our Friday best. With friends and
#ResearchMesearch / The violent men around us
Over the last six months I've had conversations with various people about what to do with all the violent men around us. This is perhaps my current burning question, because we are having to contend with the fact that more than just a handful of men around us have committed acts of violence—if not against us, then against people we know, or people we know of. We no longer have to read the news to gauge how pervasive violence is. It is out there for all to see. Unless your eyes are closed.
#ResearchMesearch / No country for Beauty
SOMETHING remarkable happened this week. Babul Mia of Habiganj—who had raped Beauty Akhter (16) earlier in the year—had her raped again and killed for not withdrawing the rape case pending against him, surprising no one.
If not now, then when?
Rupa Khatun was raped and murdered on a bus near the Tangail-Mymensingh road in Tangail's Madhupur upazila last August.
Independence from tokenism
We often lament, especially on days like our Independence Day, about how little our people (particularly the younger generation, always the younger generation) know about our history. We talk about how people conflate the day with the Language Movement,
Not a coincidence
On this International Women's Day – the one day that we women get to call our own – we had the Women's Strike. But, I went to work because I wasn't sure I had a choice in the matter. Turns out I did, but that is another story for another day.
Is abusive behaviour a choice?
I was once called a whore. Chances are, so have you, if you're a woman. And like me, you've probably been called other names too (and I'm sorry that you have), but this is the one I choose to focus on because this one befuddles me.
Of gangs, adolescents, and winners
As the outrage over a ragging incident at Jahangirnagar University died out, news about gangs of Uttara took its place, complete with a picture of a young man gone too soon.
Violence: Neoliberalism at the root of it
As we look to the future, this is what I hope we can do: recognise that without addressing the various forms of economic and social inequalities we cannot address violence. Recognise that structural problems – including climate change, poverty, weak institutions, bad governance, lack of sanitation and access to water, transportation, unsafe roads and streets, together with a culture of misogyny exacerbates structural violence.
Violence: An inevitable outcome of a world unequal
What do you think about when you think about violence against women? Do you think about sexual harassment on the streets?
Profiling narcissists in love
Khadiza, a university student in Sylhet didn't respond to Badrul Alam's romantic proposition. He couldn't handle being rejected. He responded by attacking her with a machete in public. A bystander recorded it and the video went viral on social media.
Speaking in tongues: Language and personality
We respond to others based on our dominant language, but when their dominant language is not congruent with ours, our understanding may not be congruent with what they intend.
Coal-fired power plants and related stories
Those claiming that Rampal will generate employment are not wrong. Not at all. But, we must ask: at what personal cost? Who will bear the cost of their health? Who will be held personally responsible?
Cap-Dem-Rel
Capitalism prioritses policies that promote efficiency in resource allocation, while democracy espouses ideas of equality and fairness.