Islam in Bangladesh politics: the role of Ghulam Azam of Jamaat-I-Islami

Abstract

In recent years, Islam has emerged dramatically in the politics and news headlines of the world. As elsewhere in the Muslim World, the impact of the Islamic resurgence movement is clearly visible in contemporary Bangladesh. Organized and led by Ghulam Azam until very recently, the Jamaat is now the largest and most active Islam-based political party in Bangladesh. This paper attempts to analyse the politics of Jamaat, with reference to Ghulam Azam and his political ideas and thought. First, this paper attempts to put Jamaat-I-Islami within the context of Bangladesh politics. We then provide a short biographical sketch of Ghulam Azam, showing his exposure to both Western and Islamic educations and their impact on his political activities. This paper next focuses on some of his political ideas and contributions and analyses them in the light of contemporary socio-political realities in Bangladesh, demonstrating the significant and controversial impact of his political activism and strategies on contemporary Bangladesh politics and society. The paper concludes that neither Ghulam Azam nor his party has been able to change generally negative perception about Jamaat and thus significantly widen its acceptance among the masses. Rather, at times, comments of Jamaat leadership like ‘we did no mistakes in 1971’ have infuriated the nationalist and patriotic forces and widened the gap between Jamaat and common people. It remains to be seen how Ghulam Azam and the new Jamaat leadership tackle these challenges in future.     

East Asia informal networks beyond the borders: sharing of ideas,skills, and experiences against capitalization of the commons

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the practices of networking by cultural collectives relating to art/activism in Asia. In recent years, independent, grassroots cultural and social spaces based on equal membership and multi-level networks have been created in this area. These spaces also function as experimental places to create models of alternative societies featuring sustainable lifestyles by connecting people beyond separate genres, such as art, music, agriculture, and craft. Thus, the practice of creating such places leads to an attempt to form new social relationships for common life, creation, and labor through the networking of individuals’ lives, which have become withdrawn, isolated, and forcefully separated by repressive social structures. Moreover, gathering at these places creates a collective subjectivity and shared emotions among their members. In many areas, collective political and artistic practices have been created, which transcend borders, cultures, and languages. The sharing processes of such practices have been steadily advancing.     

Portugal and the Mediterranean trade: A Prelude to the discovery of the “new world”

Before the century of great discoveries, and during most of the fifteenth century, the Portuguese developed important commercial activity in the Mediterranean. This is the central issue of this article as seen through two themes: the first is an assessment of the Portuguese organization of Mediterranean trade, with special attention given to the foodstuffs which were, and continued to be, a feature of such trade; and second, is to observe how Portuguese faced competition from others nations’ merchants in the region. The study of these two aspects will provide a better understanding of the re-orientation of Portuguese trade towards the Atlantic.     

Migrant workers enchanted with consumer society: transnationalism and global consumer culture in Bangladesh

This article reconsiders the relationship between transnationalism from above and from below, focusing on the consumer behavior of migrant workers. Although transnationalism from below may be regarded as positive resistance to dependence on nation-states and global capital, it also facilitates incorporation into global consumer cultures. This article reports how Bangladeshi return migrants have been enchanted by consumer practices in industrialized countries and have transmitted them into Bangladesh. Return migrants bring consumption habits as well as savings and remittances from industrialized countries. Returnees consequently spread consumer culture to their homelands efficiently, promoting the penetration of global capital and further migration.     

Immigrants' generational status affects emotional reactions to informal social control : The role of perceived legitimacy of the source of control

The study explores the emotional reactions and behavioral tendencies of people when they are told that their action deviates from current social norms. Of particular interest is the extent to which these reactions differ depending on the social controller's group membership. First- and second-generation North African immigrants in France (i.e., Maghrebians) were asked to imagine a situation in which they produced a counter-normative act and received disapproval from another Maghrebians immigrant or a member of the host community. They appraised the legitimacy of social control and the perception of being discriminated by this act of social control and rated their emotional and behavioral reaction to social control. First-generation immigrants reported less anger, more moral emotions, and a greater desire to repair their transgression when the social controller was presented as a member of the host society rather than a Maghrebian social controller. The results were reversed for second-generation immigrants. This asymmetry between first- and second-generation immigrants was mainly due to a mediating effect of the perceived legitimacy of social control, whereas perceived discrimination was not a significant mediator. This research demonstrates that the perceived legitimacy of social control based on the ethnic group membership of the social controller has profound effects on emotions and behaviors intended by the deviant.     

常熟家谱姓氏趣谈

常熟在唐代时不足10万人，后因北方战乱，中原民众大量逃到南方，常熟人口大增，元代时达40万。到清代乾、嘉时，突破百万。人口的流动使常熟吸纳了许多外来姓氏。如南宋抗金名将周虎，祖籍临准，后迁居常熟。元朝时四川人董元斋，官居吏科给事中，因钟情常熟山青水秀，弃官后在此定居，所在地遂成董浜。元初名士顾细二，至大年间从浙江上虞移居常熟，他的后代山东按察使顾玉柱于嘉靖间将祖业扩建，植芙蓉数百，名芙蓉村；其子顾耿光又增植梧桐，并手植从海南移栽过来的红豆树二株，而把庄名改称碧梧红豆庄。清初湖北黄冈人王材任，康熙十八年进士，官至左佥都御史。其父王泽宏，官礼部尚书，自金陵来游，见这里山水秀美，     

Live entertainment at the seaside

The UK's seaside resorts have had to adapt to a number of cultural, economic and social changes over the past 25 years, including a decline in the number of long‐stay visitors. Live entertainment provision at the seaside has also had to adapt, and this chapter of Cultural Trends explores both the current situation of live entertainment, and likely future trends.

The chapter begins with the background to the subject, describing the trends in tourist activity and cultural behaviour that have affected the seaside. It then gives the recent history of the live entertainment industry, with particular emphasis on the summer variety show. Section three provides an overview of the contemporary data available on the amount and type of live entertainment at today's seaside resorts. Section four concerns the provision and programming of live entertainment, and the capacity at resort venues. It focuses on the major role played by local authorities, and also considers the involvement of the private sector. The chapter concludes with some forecasts of the likely future form and provision of live entertainment at the seaside.     

恋爱·雅集·踏青--清明郊游的由来与演变

清明有郊游之俗。每至此日,常见青年男女结伴出行郊外,寻青山绿水之地纵情游玩。或借草饮宴,或临流高歌,好不畅快!正如宋人吴惟信《苏堤清明即事》一诗所咏:“梨花风起正清明,游子寻春半出城。日暮笙歌收拾去,万株杨柳属流莺。”清明郊游之俗,早在先秦时期就已经有了。《史记·     

宗族历史的现实映像--南阳彭氏宗族调查札记

河南南阳彭氏分为邓州与镇平两支。按照彭氏族谱的记载，彭氏族人是在明初洪武年间从山西洪洞县迁居河南邓县（今邓州市）的。清康熙年间，该族成员彭师抟曾入朝为官，并被延聘为皇四予胤祯（即后来的雍正皇帝）的业师。后来家族败落，该族后人彭链携其四个儿子到邻县镇平七里庄重新落户，从而形成了镇平彭氏的四个支系（俗称“四门”）。在近代以来的社会变动中，邓县彭氏渐渐不为人知，而镇平彭氏则因为彭禹廷和彭雪枫的政治作为而名噪宛西。     

伏羲文化中原觅踪

伏羲是中华民族敬仰的人文始祖，被尊为“三皇之首”和“百王之先”。伏羲是渔猎、畜牧时代象征性的代表人物，传说他结网罟而发明渔猎工具，制作琴瑟等乐器，规范婚姻制度与嫁娶礼仪，始画八卦，用“太极”学说来分析宇宙发展变化之理。女娲是伏羲族中另一位颇具神话色彩的传奇式人物，她是远古时代“三皇”之一，与伏羲同时，二者为兄妹或夫妇关系，可能代表同一部落联盟中两个具有通婚关系的氏族部落。相传女娲曾抟黄土造人，炼五色石补天，断鳌足以立四极，发明笙簧等乐器，为女媒而设置婚姻。伏羲与女娲被誉为中国的“亚当”和“夏娃”…     

广西客家人与南雄珠玑巷

1995年11月28日，来自16个围家和地区的南雄珠玑巷后裔代表、海内外嘉宾1700多人和南雄数千名代表欢聚一堂，举行了广东南雄珠玑巷后裔联谊会成立暨第一届恳亲大会。此后南雄珠玑巷再次为世人瞩目。有宋以来，南雄珠玑巷后裔迁居广州、珠江三角洲一带并进行大力开发，已是人所共知的事实，但元明以来南雄珠玑巷后裔迁向广西梧州、贵港、玉林、钦州一带的情况却鲜为人知，以致广西境内许多来自珠玑巷的移民后代也不知道珠玑巷在何方。