SOCIAL
AND CULTURE HISTORY BANGLADESH
SOCIAL HISTORY
Bangladeshi
society:
Bangladesh did not exist as a distinct
geographic and ethnic unity until independence. The region had been a part of
successive Indian empires, and during the British period it formed the eastern
part of a hinterland of Bengal, which was dominated by the British rulers and
Hindu professional, commercial, and landed elites. After the establishment of
Pakistan in 1947, present-day Bangladesh came under the hegemony of the
non-Bengali Muslim elites of the West Wing of Pakistan. The establishment of
Bangladesh, therefore, implied the formation of both a new nation and a new
social order.
Social
history:
Until the Partition of India partition of
British India in 1947, Hindus controlled about 80 percent of all large rural
holdings, urban real estate, and government jobs in East Bengal and dominated
finance, commerce, and the professions. Following partition, a massive flight
of East Bengali Hindus effectively removed the Hindu economic and political
elite and cut the territory’s ties to Calcutta. After the emigration of the
Hindus, Muslims moved quickly into the vacated positions, creating for the
first time in East Bengal an economy and government predominantly in Muslim
hands. These vastly increased opportunities, especially in the civil service
and the professions, however, soon came to be dominated by a West
Pakistani-based elite whose members were favored by the government both
directly and indirectly. Soon after independence in 1971, an ill-prepared
Bangladeshi elite moved into the areas vacated by West Pakistanis. The sudden
rise of a new managerial class and the expansion of the civil and military
bureaucracy upset the balance in both the urban and the rural sectors. Party
affiliation, political contacts, and documented revolutionary service became
the main prerequisites for admission to the rapidly growing new elite of
political and industrial functionaries; the established middle class and its
values played lesser roles. In the countryside, new elites with links to the
villages bought property to establish their sociopolitical control. Also taking
advantage of the situation, the rural political elite amassed fortunes in land
and rural-based enterprises. The result was the growth of a new, land-bases,
rural elite that replaced many formerly entrenched wealthy peasants.
Rural
society:
The basic social unit in a village is the
family, generally consisting of a complete or incomplete patrilineally extended
household and residing in a homestead. The individual nuclear family often is
submerged in the larger unit and might be known as the house. A significant
unit larger than that of close kin is the voluntary religious and mutual
benefit association known as “the society” (shomaj or milat). Among the
functions of a shomaj might be the maintenance of a Mosque and support a
mullah. An informal council of shomaj elders (matabdars or shordars) settles
village disputes. Groups of homes in a village are called Paras, and each para
has its own name. several paras constitute a mauza, the basic revenue and
census survey unit. The traditional character of rural villages was changing in
the latter half of the 20th century with the addition of brick
structures of one or more stories scattered among the more common thatched
bamboo huts. Although farming has traditionally ranked among the most desirable
occupations, villagers in the 1980s began to encourage their children to leave
the increasingly overcrowded countryside to seek more secure employment in the
towns.
Urban
society:
In 1988 about 18 percent of the population
lived in urban areas. Urban centers grew in number and population during the
1980s as a result of an administrative decentralization program that featured
the creation of upazilas. Towns were populated mostly by government
functionaries, merchants, and other business personnel. Most dwellings
contained nuclear families and some extended family lodgers. A few households
or a neighborhood would constitute a para, which might develop some
cohesiveness but would have no formal leadership structure. Unlike in the rural
areas, kinship ties among the town population were limited and fragile.
Family,
household, and kinship:
Family and kinship are the core of social life
in Bangladesh. A family group residing in a bari functions as the basic unit of
economic endeavor, landholding, and social identity. A bari might consist of
one or more such functional households, depending on the circumstances of
family relationship. Married sons generally live in their parents’ household
during the father’s lifetime. Although sona usually build separate houses for
their nuclear families, they remain under their father’s authority, and wives
under their mothers-in-law’s authority. A woman begins to gain respect and
security in her husband’s or father-in-law’s household only after giving birth
to a son. Mothers therefore cherish and indulge their sons, while daughters are
frequently more strictly disciplined and are assigned heavy household chores
from an early age.
Marriage:
Marriage is a civil contract rather than a
religious sacrament in Islam, and the parties to the contract represent the
interests of families rather than the direct personal interests of the
prospective spouses. In Bangladesh, parents ordinarily select spouses for their
children, although men frequently exercise some influence over the choice of
their spouses. In middle-class urban families men negotiate their own
marriages. Only in the most sophisticated elite class does a women participate
in her own marriage arrangements. The groom’s family ordinarily pledges the
traditional cash payment, or bride-price, part or all of which can be deferred
to fall due in case of divorce initiated by the husband or in case the contract
is otherwise broken. As in many Muslim countries, the cash payment system
provides women some protection against the summary divorce permitted by Islam.
Some families also adopt the Hindu custom of providing a dowry for the bride.
Women’s
role in society:
Available data health, nutrition, education,
and economic performance indicated that in the 1980s the status of women in
Bangladesh remained considerably inferior to that of men. Most women’s lives
remained centered on their traditional roles, and they had limited access to
markets, productive services, education, health care, and local government.
This lack of opportunities contributed to high fertility patterns, which
diminished family well-being, contributed to the malnourishment and generally
poor health of children, and frustrated educational and other national
development goals. As long as women’s access to health care, education, and
training remained limited, prospects for improved productivity among the female
population remained poor.
CULTURE HISTORY
Introduction:
The culture of Bangladesh refers to the way of
the life of the people of Bangladesh. It has evolved over the centuries and
encompasses the cultural diversity of several social groups of Bangladesh.
Music,
dance, drama:
The music and dance styles of Bangladesh may
be divided into three categories: classical, folk, and modern. Bangladesh has a
rich tradition of folk songs, with lyrics rooted in vibrant tradition and
spirituality, mysticism, and devotion. The most prevalent folk songs and music
traditions include Bhatiali, Baul, Marfati, Murshidi, and Bhawaiya. Lyricists
like Lalon Shah, Hason Raja, KangalHarinath, Abbas Uddin and many unknown
anonymous lyricists have enriched the tradition of folk songs of Bangladesh. In
a relatively modern context, RabindroShongit
andNazrulGiti form precious cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Recently,
western influences have given rise to quality rock bands, particularly in urban
centers like Dhaka. Several musical instruments, some of them indigenous, are
used in Bangladesh, and major musical instruments are used the bamboo flute,
drums, ektara, dotara, mandira etc. Currently, musical instruments of western
origin like guitars, drums, and the saxophone are used, sometimes along with
traditional instruments.
Media
and cinema:
The Bangladesh press is diverse, outspoken and
privately owned. Over 200 newspapers are published in the country. Bangladesh
Betar is the state-run radio service. The British Broadcasting Corporation
operates the popular BBC Bangla news and current affairs service. Bengali
broadcasts from Voice of America are also very popular. Bangladesh Television
(BTV) are the stated-owned television network. There more than 20 privately
owned television networks, including several news channels. The cinema of
Bangladesh dates back to 1898, when the films began screening at the Crown
Theatre in Dacca. The first bioscope in the subcontinent was established in
Dacca that year. The Dhaka Nawab Family patronized the production of several
silent films in the 1920s and 30s. The first feature film in East Pakistan,
Mukh O Mukhosh, was released in 1956. While the Bangladeshi film industry has
achieved limited commercial success; the country has produced notable
independent film makers. ZahirRaihan was a prominent documentary-maker who was
assassinated in 1971. The late TarequeMasud is regarded as one of Bangladesh’s outstanding
directors due to his numerous productions on historical and social issues.
TanvirMokammel, MostofaSarwarFarooki, Humayun Ahmed, and ChashiNazrul Islam are
other prominent directors of Bangladesh cinema.
Festivals
and celebrations:
Festivals and celebrations are an integral
part of the culture of Bangladesh. Muslim festivals of Eidul-Fitr, Eidul-Adha,
Milad un Nabi, Muharram, Chand raat, Shab-e-Baraat, BishwaIjtema; Hindu
festivals of Durga Puja, RathYatra, Janmashtami; Buddhist festival of Buddha
Purnima; Christian festival of Christmas and secular festivals like
PohelaBoishakh, Language Movement Day, Independence Day, RabindraJayanti,
NazrulJayanti witness widespread celebrations and are national holidays in
Bangladesh.
Architecture
and heritage:
Bangladesh has appealing architecture from
historic treasures to contemporary landmarks. It has evolved over centuries and
assimilated influences from social, religious and exotic communities.
Bangladesh has many architectural relics and monuments dating back thousands of
years.