CRM 113 BANGLADESH SOCIETY AND CULTURE CREDIT 04

Course Objective: This course introduces students sociological, historical, geographical, political, and
cultural approaches to the understanding of Bangladesh society through an examination of certain
economic, political and cultural phenomenal aspects. It will study several characteristics of Bangladesh
society in comparative perspectives.The objectives of the course are: (1) to analyze the process of
nationbuilding within historical, economic, political and cultural contexts, and (2) to develop the ability
to critically engage with sociological concepts in the Bangladesh context. Course Content: Introduction:
Basic concepts: society, state, nation-state, nationalism, democracy, culture, and space Historical
Background of Bangladesh Society: Chanakya on Arthashastra and AbulFazal on Ain-EAkbari, Asiatic
society: Marx, Weber, Wittfogel and Metcalfe, Colonial India: permanent settlement act, English
education, nationalist movements and Bengal renaissance, West Pakistani repression, language
movements, student and labor movements, and birth of Bangladesh Cultural Elements: Cultural
practices in rural and urban Bangladesh: clothes, food, language, religiosity, and rituals, Technological
development and cultural lag, Cultural Imperialism: global village, and cultural penetration (regional vs.
global) Social Forces and Change : Urbanization: Overurbanization, under urbanization, urban primacy
and urban villagers, Industrialization: British period, Pakistani period and Bangladesh period;
development of the national bourgeoisie, Rural displacement: remittance, rise of new rural middle class,
and ruralurban migration, Globalization: rise of the RMG Industries, NGOs, INGOs, MNCs; microcredit
and women empowerment State, Politics, and Development: Nature of the Bangladeshi state,
democratic transition, right to citizen, secular vs. fundamental forces, Nature of political parties, political
culture and political war, Development vs. underdevelopment: GDPs/MDGs/HDI;
inequality/poverty/unemployment; geopolitics: environment and climate change Crime, Violence, and
Social Movements: Crime: State crime, political crime, cyber crime, corporate crime, and white color
crime, Violence: structural violence, institutional violence, political violence, domestic violence, militancy
and terrorism, Social movements: reform movement, radical movement, and reactionary movement
Social Structure of Demographics: Population: composition, fertility/mortality/growth; population and
development, Family, marriage, and kinship: structure, functions, and recent changes 8 Social Structure
of Post-Independence Bangladesh: Land Reforms, Constitutional amendments, Changes in Power
Structure, Impact of Urbanization and Industrialization Ethnicity and Social Mosaic: Women, religious
minority, and Adivasi community Suggested Readings Books Ali, A., Kuddus, R. & Andaleeb, S. (eds).
(2003). Development Issues of Bangladesh II. Dhaka: University of Dhaka Press. Ahmed, S. (2004).
Bangladesh: Past and Present. Dhaka: Paragon. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. (2011). Banglapedia.
Dhaka: ASB. Baxter, C. (1998). Bangladesh: From a Nation to a State. Westview Press. Eaton, R. (1996).
The rise of Islam in the Bengal Frontier 1204–1760. Berkeley: University of California Press. Gain, P. (Ed.).
(2002). Bangladesh Environment: Facing the 21st Century (2nd ed.). Dhaka: Society for Environment and
Human Development. Giddens, A. (2009). Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Lifschultz, L. (1978).
Bangladesh: The Unfinished Revolution. London: Zed Press. Maniruzzaman, T. (2003). The Bangladesh
Revolution and its Aftermath. South Asia Books. Mozumdar, R. C. (2003). The History of Bengal. New
Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corp. Rahim, M. (1978). Muslim Society and Politics in Bengal A.D. 1757–1947.
Dhaka: University of Dhaka Press. Robinson, F. (Ed.). (1989). Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Raghavan, S. (2013). 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. Harvard University Press.
Schendel, W. van. (1997). History of Bangladesh 1704–1971 (3 volumes) (2nd ed.). Dhaka: Asiatic Society
of Bangladesh. Schendel, W. van. (2009). A History of Bangladesh. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press. Umar, B. (2004). The Emergence of Bangladesh Vol. 1: Class Struggles in East Pakistan 1947– 1958.
OUP Pakistan.