Constructing Bangladesh: Religion, Ethnicity, and Language in an Islamic Nation (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) [Hardcover]

Sufia M. Uddin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2006 | Series: Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks

Highlighting the dynamic, pluralistic nature of Islamic civilization, Sufia Uddin examines the complex history of Islamic state formation in Bangladesh, formerly the eastern part of the Indian province of Bengal. Uddin focuses on significant moments in the region's history from medieval to modern times, examining the interplay of language, popular and scholarly religious literature, and the colonial experience as they contributed to the creation of a unique Bengali-Islamic identity.

During the precolonial era, Bengali, the dominant regional language, infused the richly diverse traditions of the region, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and, eventually, the Islamic religion and literature brought by Urdu-speaking Muslim conquerors from North India. Islam was not simply imported into the region by the ruling elite, Uddin explains, but was incorporated into local tradition over hundreds of years of interactions between Bengalis and non-Bengali Muslims. Constantly contested and negotiated, the Bengali vision of Islamic orthodoxy and community was reflected in both language and politics, which ultimately produced a specifically Bengali-Muslim culture. Uddin argues that this process in Bangladesh is representative of what happens elsewhere in the Muslim world and is therefore an instructive example of the complex and fluid relations between local heritage and the greater Islamic global community, or umma.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Uddin] guides her readers…in a refreshingly lucid style….Her book [is] a useful addition to the reading lists of students and scholars of Bengal."
-South Asia Research

From the Inside Flap

Highlighting the dynamic, pluralistic nature of Islamic civilization, Uddin examines the complex history of Islamic state formation in Bangladesh, formerly the eastern part of the Indian province of Bengal. Uddin focuses on significant moments in the region's history, from medieval to modern times, examining the interplay of language, popular and scholarly religious literature, and the colonial experience as they contributed to the creation of a unique Bengali-Islamic identity. She argues that Islamic states, like Christian states, take varying approaches to religious law based on regional heritage and history.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (June 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807830216
• ISBN-13: 978-0807830215
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,045,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > History > Asia > Bangladesh

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Convincing Arguments and Insights, June 16, 2011

By 

Will Jerom (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constructing Bangladesh: Religion, Ethnicity, and Language in an Islamic Nation (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) (Hardcover)

Sufia Uddin writes a book that in many regards is very readable, but obviously slanted more towards an academic, than a popular audience. Nonetheless the attentive reader will find this a substantive, informative but very targeted work. This is not a general history, but a review of the Islamic identity of Bangladesh, and a thesis about the regional variation of the Islamic faith. Uddin's intent is to identify the roots of Bangladesh's Islamic culture and identity, and finds the differences primarily in its Bengali language and cultural views of the Muslim religion. Convincingly Uddin argues that there is no monolithic Muslim culture, but that Islam everywhere is filtered the local culture, language, and custom. If you wish to understand Bangladesh, no doubt you will find this a valuable book.