Rethinking Bangladesh: A special issue
We are excited to present our special series, Rethinking Bangladesh, which brings together over a dozen writers and artists, many of them based in Bangladesh, and all of them with expertise and informed insights on the country.
While much of the focus recently has naturally been on Bangladesh's history, we at Himal Southasian felt there was a need for more conversations on Bangladesh's present, as well as the forces shaping its future. This is what we have attempted to do in our series. Read the note from the editors for more on why, and how, we decided to put together this digital issue.
Over the coming weeks we will be publishing the following essays, commentaries, reportage and more, illustrated by Dhaka-based artists Olokkhiart, Nasheen Jahan Nasir, Ishrat Jahan Shaeera, Reesham Shahab Tirtho, and Colombo-based artist Akila Weerasinghe.
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In this issue:
Efadul Huq and Rasel Ahmed unpack what Bangladesh means to queer migrants.
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Joseph Allchin on corruption in Bangladesh's energy economy.
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Kasia Paprocki on the need for a deeper interrogation of climate change narratives in Bangladesh.
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Parvez Ahmad Rony documents state violence in Bangladesh-India borderlands.
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Naomi Hossain on rewriting Bangladesh's global reputation.
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Anika Saba and Shamiul Hossain on Dhaka's urban planning and the loss of parks.
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Debjani Bhattacharyya on the 'history of forgetting' in the Bengal Delta.
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Pritha Mahanti on rethinking Dhaka's urbanity through film.
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Arif Sohel and Anupam Debashis Roy on the potential of crowd politics in Bangladesh.
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Azmal Hossan on ensuring energy justice.
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Shah Tazrian Ashrafi's short story.
Zara Rahman on the promise and perils of 'Digital Bangladesh'.
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Dina Siddiqui on the need to interrupt business as usual in Bangladesh's garment industry.
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~ This special series will be available for free. To help us continue our independent, interesting and irreverent coverage of Southasia, do check out our membership plans and support our work!