This book traces the cultural and political economic roots through which an independent Bangladesh was created, exploring the social, cultural and political strands that informed and influenced the experience of Bengali-speaking people in the region from 1947 to 1971 and beyond.

Featuring cutting edge contributions from scholars from across India, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Canada, the UK, and the US, the book highlights the complex and contested ways in which a Bengali homeland was imagined, articulated, and, when the subjects were removed from it, remembered. Chapters engage with several significant historical issues that led to the 1971 India-Pakistan war: the refugee exodus and process of minoritization caused by the partition of 1947; the struggle for the Bengali language against Urdu hegemony; and the role of the Communist Party in resisting Pakistani colonialism (while remaining conscious of how Bengaliness was revitalized by the events of 1971). The book consequently provides a complex picture of nation formation through genocide, ethnic cleansing, the minoritization of nested communities, and a community’s cultural sense of belonging.

Through a sustained analysis of social evolution on both sides of Bengal, this book demonstrates how a sense of affection transforms into a political struggle for freedom and nation formation. It will be of interest to researchers of Bengal, Bangladesh and South Asia studies, as well as Asian History.