Begum Rokeya

ESSAY / 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

Essay / Rokeya’s relevance to Palestinian feminism

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (online), the first known use of the term ‘feminism’–

Views / Sultana’s Dream and the issue with feminist utopias

“They should not do anything, excuse me; they are fit for nothing.”

Tribute / Celebrating Rokeya

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932) was exceptional in many different ways. Born on December 9, 1880, in a sleepy village in Rangpur, undivided Bengal, she died on the same day, 52 years later,

Begum Rokeya's 'Sultana's Dream' come to life through Spanish filmmaker

"Sultana's Dream" draws inspiration from the eponymous 1905 book by the renowned Bengali feminist thinker and writer, Begum Rokeya. The story unfolds as it follows a Spanish artist residing in India who serendipitously encounters a science fiction narrative centered on "Ladyland," a utopian society where women hold sway over the nation while men retreat to seclusion and assume responsibility for domestic chores.

FEATURE / Begum Rokeya and Begum Sufia An enduring “mother-daughter” bond

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) and Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999), two icons in Bangla literature and culture, were not kins but kindred spirits.

The books you will meet at Dhaka Art Summit 2023

For those who are especially interested in literature in book form, the first two floors of the exhibition hold treasures. 

Sister Library brings back ‘Sultana’s Dream’ and the chance to create one’s own utopia

The zine-making workshop was divided into four groups based on the central themes of Begum Rokeya’s story: arts, social justice, city planning and science & education.

BOOK EXCERPT: NONFICTION / Toward Ladyland: On the life and work of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

Her 1903 piece “Alonkar na badge of slavery” marked the start of Rokeya’s explicitly feminist writing.

July 6, 2024
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

December 23, 2023
December 23, 2023

Rokeya’s relevance to Palestinian feminism

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (online), the first known use of the term ‘feminism’–

December 7, 2023
December 7, 2023

Celebrating Rokeya

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932) was exceptional in many different ways. Born on December 9, 1880, in a sleepy village in Rangpur, undivided Bengal, she died on the same day, 52 years later,

December 7, 2023
December 7, 2023

Sultana’s Dream and the issue with feminist utopias

“They should not do anything, excuse me; they are fit for nothing.”

September 24, 2023
September 24, 2023

Begum Rokeya's 'Sultana's Dream' come to life through Spanish filmmaker

"Sultana's Dream" draws inspiration from the eponymous 1905 book by the renowned Bengali feminist thinker and writer, Begum Rokeya. The story unfolds as it follows a Spanish artist residing in India who serendipitously encounters a science fiction narrative centered on "Ladyland," a utopian society where women hold sway over the nation while men retreat to seclusion and assume responsibility for domestic chores.

June 17, 2023
June 17, 2023

Begum Rokeya and Begum Sufia An enduring “mother-daughter” bond

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) and Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999), two icons in Bangla literature and culture, were not kins but kindred spirits.

February 9, 2023
February 9, 2023

The books you will meet at Dhaka Art Summit 2023

For those who are especially interested in literature in book form, the first two floors of the exhibition hold treasures. 

December 21, 2022
December 21, 2022

Sister Library brings back ‘Sultana’s Dream’ and the chance to create one’s own utopia

The zine-making workshop was divided into four groups based on the central themes of Begum Rokeya’s story: arts, social justice, city planning and science & education.

December 8, 2022
December 8, 2022

Toward Ladyland: On the life and work of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

Her 1903 piece “Alonkar na badge of slavery” marked the start of Rokeya’s explicitly feminist writing.

October 12, 2022
October 12, 2022

‘Sultana’s Dream’ in new Penguin Classics edition and audiobook

The Penguin Classics edition of Sultana’s Dream and Padmarag comes in a paperback, ebook, and as an audiobook narrated by Priya Ayyar, a television and film actor and award-winning audiobook narrator with a BFA and MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.