LSE has had a long and rewarding relationship with Bangladesh, attracting some of its best minds to come here to study, and in turn enrich the institution with their own energy. This mutual exchange has several important markers in LSE’s proud history with Bangladesh.
Amongst our prominent alumni are Abul Fateh (distinguished diplomat & first Foreign Secretary), Mustafa Kamal (former Chief Justice of Bangladesh), Mushtaque Chowdhury (Vice President, BRAC), and Imran Rahman (Vice Chancellor, ULAB).
Speaker: Asif Saleh (@asifsaleh) is Executive Director, BRAC, Dhaka.
Chair: Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director, South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology, LSE.
Watch a recording of Asif Saleh's talk here, and to watch the full event click here.
LSE-UC Berkeley Bangladesh Summit 2
The Second LSE-UC Berkeley Bangladesh Summit will be held on 22 February 2019 at UC Berkeley.
Invited participants include Adnan Hossain (VU Amsterdam), Allan de Souza (UC Berkeley), Isha Ray (UC Berkeley), Jade Benjamin-Chung (UC Berkeley), Juli Huang (@Juli_Q_Huang) (Edinburgh), Lamia Karim (Oregon), Lawrence Cohen (UC Berkeley), Lotte Hoek (Edinburgh), Madhuja Mukherjee (Jadavpur, Kolkata), Munis Faruqui (UC Berkeley), Nilanjan Sarkar (LSE), Nusrat Sabina Chowdhury (Amherst), Raka Ray (UC Berkeley), Sabina Rashid (BRAC, Dhaka), Sanchita Saxena (UC Berkeley) and Shameran Abed (@Shameran) (BRAC, Dhaka).
David Lewis (LSE) will deliver the Keynote Address on ‘Bangladesh: Politics, Economy and Civil Society Revisited’.
To view the complete programme, click here.
This event is in collaboration with The Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies, UC Berkeley.
LSE - UC Berkeley Bangladesh Summit 2
22 February 2019
The South Asia Centre and the Subir and Malini Chowdhury Centre for Bangladesh Studies at the University of California-Berkeley hosted their second summit, covering 'Negotiating Uncertainty: Health, Politics and Environment in Bangladesh', 'The Entrepreneurship Model and Women's Empowerment' and 'Forms of Sovereignty: Art, Cinema and Popular Culture'.
29 March 2018
Deputy Director Dr Nilanjan Sarkar attended the 47th Bangaldesh Independence Day celebrations held at the International Maritime Organisation, hosted by the Bangladesh High Commission, London.
The Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis: Bangladesh's Response
15 March 2018
Bangladesh’s response to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis has been iconic. Despite a severe strain on its material and administrative resources, the government of Bangladesh has responded with incalculable effort, matched only by its generosity.
Mr Md. Shahidul Haque, Hon'ble Foreign Secretary, Government of Bangladesh described first-hand the government’s incredibly humanitarian response to a tragedy triggered by others, but whose financial costs are being borne by Bangladesh.
H.E. Mr Md. Nazmul Quanine, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK gave Introductory remarks; the event was chaired by Deputy Director Dr Nilanjan Sarkar.
Listen to the podcast here.
Out of the Basket: Lessons from Bangladesh's Development Successes
7 March 2017
Dr Naomi Hossain (Sussex) with Professor Naila Kabeer (LSE) and Professor Mushtaq Khan (SOAS), chaired by Professor David Lewis (LSE) discussed lessons for the world from Bangladesh's development experience. Despite Bangladesh facing a host of issues from cyclones, hunger and overpopulation, with challenges from the global economy and violent political upheaval, it is now seen as a surprising success for how it handled some of these problems.
The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangaldesh War and Its Unquiet Legacy
7 November 2016
Salil Tripathi discussed his new book on the Bangladesh War of Indepdence in 1971 and its aftermath with Martin Woollacott Woollacott was a correspondent for The Guardian newspaper in Dhaka during the War of Independence.
Read the review of Tripathi's book here.
18-21 June 2016
Deputy Director Dr Nilanjan Sarkar visited Bangladesh to meet stakeholders, government officials and business leaders to introduce the work of the CEntre focussing on Bangladesh, and explore opportunities to host events in Bangladesh.
Tales of the Unexpected: Gender Equality and Social Progress in Bangladesh
3 June 2016
Professor Amartya Sen (Harvard), with Professor David Lewis (LSE) and Dr Juli Huang (Edinburgh), chaired by Professor Naila Kabeer (LSE) discussed why gender indicators for Bangladesh have shown a marked improvement despite various development indices not reflecting a similar upswing.
This event was hosted by the South Asia Centre in collaboration with the Gender Institute and Eva Colorni Memorial Trust.
Click here to see event storify and here for the video/podcast.
3-5 January 2016
Deputy Director Dr Nilanjan Sarkar visited Bangladesh to renew contact with alumni, visit research centres and foundations, to explore the Centre's vision for Bangladesh.
(Re)Doing Respectable Femininity: Issues of Gender and Class among ‘New Women’ of Bangladesh
2 December 2015
Dr Nazia Hussein (LSE) presented extracts from her ongoing research in the areas of gender, class, ethnicity and religion in South Asia and more specifically Bangladesh. This was an LSE Sociology Social Inequalities Research Cluster Session.
Made in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sri Lanka: The Labor Behind the Global Garments and Textiles Industries
27 November 2015
Dr Sanchita Banerjee Saxena (UC Berkeley) discussed her new book which explores the labour behind the global garment and textiles industries. Professor David Lewis (LSE) chaired the eevnt, and moderated the discussion. Click here for more details on the book. Video available here.
This event was held in collaboration with the Department of Social Policy.
The Decline of Radical Development NGOs in Bangladesh
July 2015
Professor David Lewis (LSE), gave a public lecture at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, on the narrowing civil society space in Bangladesh under the increasingly defensive Awami League government. Read his blog post on the lecture here.
There is currently no academic research programme focused on contemporary Bangladesh in the UK. The South Asia Centre is committed to develop a dedicated research agenda and a community of researchers to examine issues of concern in modern-day Bangladesh, making the Centre the hub for Bangladesh-related events and research in the UK & Europe.
Read the South Asia Centre's White Paper on Bangladesh to learn more about the Centre's engagement with the country and the wider region. This White Paper was written in 2016.
Banner image credit: Buriganga river by 'nachoipd' Kyseoung Choi onPixabay.com