This book examines the impact of British education policies on the Muslims of Colonial Bengal. It evaluates the student composition and curriculum of various educational institutions for Muslims in Calcutta and Dacca to show how they produced the educated Muslim middle class. The author studies the role of Muslim leaders such as Abdul Latif and Fazlul Huq in the spread of education among Muslims and looks at how segregation in education supported by the British fueled Muslim anxiety and separatism. The book analyzes the conflict of interest between Hindus and Muslims over education and employment which strengthened growing Muslim solidarity and anti- Hindu feeling, eventually leading to the demand for a separate nation. It also discusses the experiences of Muslim women at Sakhawat Memorial School, Lady Brabourne College, Eden College, Calcutta, and Dacca Universities at a time when several Brahmo and Hindu schools did not admit them. An important contribution to the study of colonial education in India, the book highlights the role of discriminatory colonial education policies and pedagogy in amplifying religious separatism. It will be useful for scholars and researchers of modern Indian history, religion, education, Partition studies, minority studies, imperialism, colonialism, and South Asian history.
Bangladesh did not exist as an independent state until 1971. Willem van Schendel's state-of-the-art history navigates the extraordinary twists and turns that created modern Bangladesh through ecological disaster, colonialism, partition, a war of independence and cultural renewal. In this revised and updated edition, Van Schendel offers a fascinating and highly readable account of life in Bangladesh over the last two millennia. Based on the latest academic research and covering the numerous historical developments of the 2010s, he provides an eloquent introduction to a fascinating country and its resilient and inventive people. A perfect survey for travellers, expats, students and scholars alike.
This examination of the changing pattern of Hindu-Muslim rioting in Bengal provides a much fuller understanding of the phenomenon of communal identity and its popular response in the history of India.
The neighboring north Indian districts of Jaipur and Ajmer are identical in language, geography, and religious and caste demography. But when the famous Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed in 1992, Jaipur burned while Ajmer remained peaceful; when the state clashed over low-caste affirmative action quotas in 2008, Ajmer's residents rioted while Jaipur's citizens stayed calm. What explains these divergent patterns of ethnic conflict across multiethnic states? Using archival research and elite interviews in five case studies spanning north, south, and east India, as well as a quantitative analysis of 589 districts, Ajay Verghese shows that the legacies of British colonialism drive contemporary conflict. Because India served as a model for British colonial expansion into parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, this project links Indian ethnic conflict to violent outcomes across an array of multiethnic states, including cases as diverse as Nigeria and Malaysia. The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence in India makes important contributions to the study of Indian politics, ethnicity, conflict, and historical legacies.
The decade of the 1940s was a turbulent one for Bengal. War, famine, riots and partition - Bengal witnessed it all, and the unique experience of each of these factors created a space for diverse social and political forces to thrive and impact the lives of people of the province. The book embarks on a study of the last seven years of colonial rule in Bengal, analysing the interplay of multiple socioeconomic and political factors that shaped community identities into communal ones. The focus is on three major communal riots that the province witnessed - the Dacca Riots (1941), the Great Calcutta Killings (August 1946) and the Noakhali Riots (October 1946). This book moves beyond the binary understanding of communalism as Hindu versus Muslim and looks at the caste politics in the province, and offers a complete understanding of the 1940s before partition.
India, Bharat and Pakistan, the second book of the Bharat Trilogy, takes the discussion forward from its bestselling predecessor, India That Is Bharat. It explores the combined influence of European and Middle Eastern colonialities on Bharat as the successor state to the Indic civilisation, and on the origins of the Indian Constitution. To this end, the book traces the thought continuum of Middle Eastern coloniality, from the rise of Islamic Revivalism in the 1740s following the decline of the Mughal Empire, which presaged the idea of Pakistan, until the end of the Khilafat Movement in 1924, which cemented the road to Pakistan. The book also describes the collaboration of convenience that was forged between the proponents of Middle Eastern coloniality and the British colonial establishment to the detriment of the Indic civilisation. One of the objectives of this book is to help the reader draw parallels between the challenges faced by the Indic civilisation in the tumultuous period from 1740 to 1924, and the present day. Its larger goal remains the same as that of the first, which is to enthuse Bharatiyas to undertake a critical decolonial study of Bharat's history, especially in the context of the Constitution, so that the religiosity towards the document is moderated by a sense of proportion, perspective and purpose.
Great Muslim Leaders presents Islamic-informed alternatives to Eurocentric Christian understandings of education and educational leadership. It does so by interrupting and displacing the West’s centuries long dismissive stance and monolithic gaze on Islam by showcasing outstanding diverse Muslim leaders across space and time. Each chapter focuses on a single leader, and includes a biographical sketch; a discussion of their context and activities as a leader; key lessons readers can learn from their leadership, and recommendations that are relevant for teachers and educational leaders. This collection of Muslim leaders, chosen by Muslim scholars, brings to education discourse the breadth of Islamic intellectual history, giving the book a global appeal and facilitating a sharing of innovative and classic ideas across cultures, faith traditions, and national boundaries. Great Muslim Leaders introduces to readers Muslim intellectuals, spiritual leaders, philosophers, poets, artists, activists, scientists, celebrities, politicians, educators, film makers, historical figures, theorists, and academics whose lives have positively shaped their community, society, and the world. Their lived experiences are underpinned by deep spirituality and faith, revealing the significance and import religious belief has on moral and ethical action. The book concludes with seven lessons that cut across the chapters that encapsulate the immense value Islamic spirituality and faith bring to education and leadership. ENDORSEMENTS: "In recent years many books have been written on Islam and Muslims. However, Great Muslim Leaders: Lessons for Education is a 'must read.' In this unique, well written and engaging study, Melanie Brooks and Miriam Ezzani demonstrate how faith and spirituality have informed the lives and accomplishments of major Muslim leaders in a broad section of professions." — John L. Esposito, Georgetown University "Scholars of leadership ignore spiritual and religious exemplars at their peril. By seeking such exemplars from Islam in such an organic manner, this volume models the central lessons it conveys: promoting pluralism, thoughtfully questioning, critically reflecting, and, most vitally, helping us recognize and embrace the sacred trust of leadership." — Martin Scanlan, Boston College "Great Muslim Leaders: Lessons for Education is timely, inspirational and packed with lessons for educators and learners alike. At a time when Islamic education is moving toward renewal, this book will provide much needed insight, real-life lessons and direction. This is a must read for anyone seeking to be enriched by the lives of great Muslim leaders - be they learners, educators or leaders." — Mohamad Abdalla AM, University of South Australia "So many popular leadership books tell the same story of a great white American man who overcame obstacles to build an empire. It is refreshing to read this book featuring educational leaders whose Muslim faith is central to their practice and whose work is bigger than themselves. The biographies of these diverse leaders from across the world offer lessons in humility and hope as well as practical tips for other leaders who seek to apply their faith, whether Muslim or not, to a more connected way of being and of leading." —Joanne M. Marshall, Iowa State University
In this brilliant look at the rise of political Islam, the distinguished political scientist and anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani brings his expertise and insight to bear on a question many Americans have been asking since 9/11: how did this happen? Mamdani dispels the idea of “good” (secular, westernized) and “bad” (premodern, fanatical) Muslims, pointing out that these judgments refer to political rather than cultural or religious identities. The presumption that there are “good” Muslims readily available to be split off from “bad” Muslims masks a failure to make a political analysis of our times. This book argues that political Islam emerged as the result of a modern encounter with Western power, and that the terrorist movement at the center of Islamist politics is an even more recent phenomenon, one that followed America’s embrace of proxy war after its defeat in Vietnam. Mamdani writes with great insight about the Reagan years, showing America’s embrace of the highly ideological politics of “good” against “evil.” Identifying militant nationalist governments as Soviet proxies in countries such as Nicaragua and Afghanistan, the Reagan administration readily backed terrorist movements, hailing them as the “moral equivalents” of America’s Founding Fathers. The era of proxy wars has come to an end with the invasion of Iraq. And there, as in Vietnam, America will need to recognize that it is not fighting terrorism but nationalism, a battle that cannot be won by occupation. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim is a provocative and important book that will profoundly change our understanding both of Islamist politics and the way America is perceived in the world today.
This book is an accessible, comprehensive, and nuanced history of Pakistan. It reflects upon state and society in Pakistan and shows they have been shaped by historical forces and personae. Hoodbhoy expertly maps the journey of the region from many millennia ago to the circumstances and impulses that gave birth to the very first state in history founded upon religious identity. He documents colonial rule, the trauma of Partition, the nation’s wars with India, the formation of Bangladesh, and the emergence of Baloch nationalism. The book also examines longstanding complex themes and issues – such as religious fundamentalism, identity formation, democracy, and military rule – as well as their impact on the future of the state of Pakistan. Drawing on a range of sources and written by one of the foremost intellectuals of the region, this book will be indispensable for scholars, researchers, students of history, politics, and South Asian studies. It will be of great interest to the general reader interested in understanding Pakistan.
An accessible, transregional exploration of how Islam and Asia have shaped each other's histories, societies and cultures from the seventh century to today.
