Identity, Nationhood and Bangladesh Independent Cinema

Fahmidul Haq is visiting professor of Experimental Humanities at Bard College, New York, USA, and he has taught Mass Communication and Journalism at University of Dhaka, Bangladesh for nearly two decades. His areas of interests include South Asian Cinema, Critical Media Studies and New Media Culture. His publications on South Asian film and media both in English and Bengali include Cinema of Bangladesh: A Brief History (2020). A human rights defender and public intellectual, Haq’s online activism evolves around culture and politics of Bangladesh.Brian Shoesmith was honorary professor in Communications and Arts at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. He was also Dean of Academic Development at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) for nearly a decade. He is the co-author of Media Theories and Approaches: A Global Perspective (2008) and co-editor of Bangladesh’s Changing Mediascape ( 2013). He was a Founding Editor of Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies (Taylor and Francis). Dr. Shoesmith passed away on 30th January 2020.

• IntroductionChapter 1: Identity, Nationhood and Independent CinemaChapter 2: Identity Approaches of Bengali MuslimsChapter 3: The Making of Independent Cinema in BangladeshChapter 4: Textual Analysis – Foundational Films (Kittonkhola, A Tree Without Roots, Dollhouse)Chapter 5: Textual Analysis – Transitional Films (The Clay Bird, Meherjaan, Television)Chapter 6: Textual Analysis – Contemporary Films (Runway, Ant Story, Under Construction, My Bicycle)Chapter 7: Representing Identity through CinemaConclusion