Introduction
Abstract
This introductory essay discusses the emergence of Bangladesh in the context of the Partition of British India into India and Pakistan, the latter country comprising the culturally distinct entities of West and East Pakistan. It examines the politics of minoritzation and its role for constructing East Pakistan as the homeland for Bengali Muslims, and the exodus of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan to India and/or Muslim Bengalis from West Bengal into East Pakistan. The essay also underlines how this sense of belonging to a Bengali homeland shaped the transformation of East Pakistan into Bangladesh besides introducing the individual essays.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Bangladesh Politics
Society
and Development
South Asian Studies and Diaspora
South Asian Studies and Conflicts
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 1–13
- Publication date
- 18 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter