As we observe the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh, and the 70th anniversary of 21 February 1952, a movement that catalysed the beginning Bengali nationalist movements in East Pakistan, our celebrations creates the scope to read and reread how this nation is imagined in manifestations of the public consciousness–in literary texts, films, and other popular media. 

The Department of English and Humanities (DEH) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) sought to raise these enquiries and more in its 2022 Multicultural Conclave, focusing on 'A Dialogic ImagiNation of Bangladesh: Literary-Linguistic-Cultural Representations, Non-representations and Misrepresentations'. 

The two-day online Conclave began on February 25 and ended on February 26. It was held on Zoom and aired live on ULAB's social media pages. 

ULAB VC Prof. Imran Rahman, Pro-VC Prof. Shamsad Mortuza, Head of the English and Humanities department Arifa Ghani Rahman, and Prof. Syed Manzoorul Islam spoke on the occasion.

The keynote and plenary sessions explored the ideas of nation, nationalism, and nationhood; on how specific spaces and time periods shape the characters portrayed in narratives on Bangladesh; and how these local and global representations, in turn, shape relationships between this nation and those living in it. 

Keynote Speakers at the conclave included Prof. Ganesh N. Devy, best known for the People's Linguistic Survey of India; award-winning fiction writer, critic Prof. Syed Manzoorul Islam, and ULAB English professor and critic, educator, activist, and editor Professor SaugataBhadhuri, specialist in the literary and cultural history of colonial history at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. 

The event saw discussions led by Professor Rachel McDermott, Columbia University; Professor Kaiser Haq, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh; Professor Azfar Hussain, Grand Valley State University; Professor AngshumanKar, University of Burdwan; Professor Cara Cilano, Michigan State University; Professor Mohammad Azam, University of Dhaka; Professor Shoaib Gibran, Bangladesh Open University; Dr. AvishekParui, IIT Madras; Dr. Christin Höne, Maastricht University; Professor Fahmida Akhter, Jahangirnagar University; and Professor SudeepChakravarti, writer, journalist, and Visiting Professor, ULAB.