ABOUT THE EVENT

To celebrate the golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is organizing a virtual international conference, co-sponsored by the South Asia Program of Cornell University, which will explore the country’s developments in different sectors—politics, economy, society and culture. A number of national and international webinars have already been organized this year on Bangladesh. They have portrayed the remarkable story of Bangladesh’s development—how it has succeeded in rebuilding a war-ravaged economy and society and made steady progress in key indicators of human development and economic growth.

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SESSIONS

19

PAPERS

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SPEAKERS

510

PARTICIPANTS

Fifty Years of Bangladesh Retrospect and Prospect

December 6-9, 2021A Four Day Virtual International Conference

The conference is planned with a view to publishing an edited volume containing selected papers presented at the conference. The fact that the number of academic publications on Bangladesh are few is a constraint in teaching and research. The edited conference volume is expected to serve as a standard reference book in developing courses on Bangladesh and South Asian studies in the universities in Bangladesh and abroad.

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CONFERENCE THEME

  • THEME 1: STATE, SOCIETY, POLITICS

  • THEME 2: BANGLADESH’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION

  • THEME 3: TOWARDS A JUST SOCIETY

  • THEME 4: SOCIAL TRANSITIONS

  • THEME 5: CULTURE

  • THEME 6: COSTS AND CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPMENT

  • THEME 7: BANGLADESH IN A CHANGING WORLD ORDER

CONFERENCE AGENDA

day 1 agenda

monday, dec 6, 2021, 6:00pm - 9:45pm Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

6:00PM

6:00PM - 7:45PM

Panel 1: Inaugural Session and Keynote Presentation

Chair

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Welcome Address

Dr Fahmida Khatun
Executive Director, CPD

Professor Iftikhar Dadi
Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University

Introduction to the Conference

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Keynote Presentation

Professor Rehman Sobhan
Chairman, CPD

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

8:00PM

Panel 2: State, Society, Politics

8:00PM - 9:45PM

Chair

Dr Ahrar Ahmad
Director General, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation (GARF)

Paper 1 – Evolution of State-Society Relations in Bangladesh: An Analytical Narrative

Presenter: Dr Mirza M Hassan
Senior Research Fellow, Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University

Discussant: Professor Naomi Hossain
Research Professor, Accountability Research Center, American University

Paper 2 – Islamist Politics in Bangladesh: The Nature, Scope and the Pathway

Presenter: Professor Ali Riaz
Distinguished Professor​, Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University

Discussant: Professor Habibul Haque Khondker
Professor, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Paper 3 – State-making, Violence, and Political Muscle: Bangladesh as Polycratic State

Presenter: Professor Arild Engelsen Ruud
Professor, South Asia Studies, University of Oslo

Discussant: Dr Philip K. Oldenburg
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Columbia University.

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Dr Ahrar Ahmad
Director General, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation (GARF)

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The CPD conference aims to deepen our understanding of Bangladesh’s multifaceted development over the last fifty years. The event will draw upon specially commissioned papers, covering a broad spectrum of issues addressing the qualitative dimensions of development and change as well as explore the processes which have produced these changes. The proceedings of the conference are expected to be published.

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OUR SPEAKERS

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

House 40/C, Road No 11(New),
Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh.
Tel: +(88 02) 55001185, 48118090, 58156979
E-mail: info@cpd.org.bd
Website: www.cpd.org.bd

South Asia Program Cornell University

30 Uris Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853, USA
Tel: (+1 607) 255-8493
Email: sap@cornell.edu
Website: www.einaudi.cornell.edu/programs/south-asia-program