This edited volume is an attempt to chart out and explain the retreat of secularism tin Bangladesh and the consequent decline in the status of minorities. The contributors point to the historical reasons for predominantly Muslim Bangladesh to adopt a secular constitution when it won independence from Pakistan as well as the socio-politico-economic reasons for its abandonment. The volume shows how the quest for legitimacy by unelected leaders who had come to power under questionable circumstances led them to make compromises with fundamentalist political formations who had opposed the formation of Bangladesh itself. The result, the volume shows the de facto retreat of secularism followed by its de jure abandonment as exemplified by the adoption of Islam as the State religion. The status of the minority communities became worse and the re-establishment of democracy actually may have made things worse.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dipankar Sengupta
Dipankar Sengupta is currently Economics Fellow in the Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi. He is on leave from Jawaharlal Nehru University where he teaches economics at the School of International Studies. He was educated at the University of Calcutta and at the Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University and his area sof itnerest include International Political Economy, Industrial Organisation Theory and Indian include International Political Economy, Industrial organisation Theory and Indian Economic Development and has published extensively on these subjects.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sudhir Kumar Singh
Sudhir Kumar Singh is MA, M Phil, PhD from Delhi University and had worked as Research Officer in Sri Ram Institute of Industrial Research, New Delhi. He had participated and presented many papers in the seminars and attended workshop organized by NCERT. He is presently reader in R.B.S.College, Agra of Dr. B.R. University, Agra.
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