August 1994
Woudschoten, the Netherlands

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN WORKSHOP ON BANGLADESH: FACING
THE 21ST CENTURY.

In August 1994, the European Network of Bangladesh Studies
(ENBS) held its fourth international workshop, this time at
Woudschoten (Zeist), the Netherlands. The theme of the
three-day workshop was 'Facing the 21st Century: Social
Mobilisation, Cultural Change and Sustainable Development in
Bangladesh." About 60 people from thirteen countries
participated, and 33 papers were presented. 

By Iet de Groot

Under the sub-theme of 'Social Mobilization,' separate panels
were devoted to opportunities for and constraints on social
mobilization, the state and social control, and development
and training. The first set of panels explored the meaning of
'mobilization,' 'participation', and 'empowerment' (all
popular terms in the contemporary development discourse), by
looking at e.g. projects aimed at mobilizing mothers for the
improvement of their childrens' school attendance; sweepers'
communities' strategies to gain social esteem and upward
mobility; the tension between foreign models of participation
in water management projects and Bangladeshi models of local
organization and local knowledge; and the sustainability of
movements and non-government organizations striving to help
landless people to obtain access to government (khas) land.
The panel, dealing with the state and social control,
addressed the historical systems of disciplining
the 'depressed classes' which continue to influence power
relations in Bangladesh; the links between military rule and
the rise of fundamentalist politics; and the way in which
donor countries ignore their own human rights criteria when it
comes to violations of human rights of the indigenous peoples
in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Finally, the panel on
development and training examined non-traditional training for
women in skilled manual trades; and the application of
intermediate technology to small-scale dood processing.

The subtheme of 'Cultural Change' covered panels devoted to
Cultural identity, fundamentalist politics and intellectuals;
language and publishing; women, children and the law; and
culture and the media. The panel on cultural identity dealt
with early Muslim women writers in Bengal and parallels with
the current Taslima Nasreen case; the resurgence of
fundamentalist polities and the reactions of intellectuals to
this. In the panel on language and publishing, a paper was
presented which dealt with the difficulties encountered in
writing a Bengali language course for English-speakers;
another paper dealt with the vicissitudes of scholarly
publishing in Bangladesh. The third panel dealt with the
position of children in Bangladeshi society; the impact of
family law on women; and the gendered nature in which land is
inherited in rural Bangladesh.  The final panel discussed the
role of the media in cultural change: the coming of satellite
television; the visual representation of developing countries
by development agencies and western media; and the way in
which the media in Bangladesh depict communal and ethnic
differentiation.

Under the subtheme of 'Sustainable Development' there were
panels on development and infrastructure; reproductive rights;
new governance; food production and the environment; foreign
aid; and development institutions. All panels explored the
concept of 'sustainability.' The first panel looked at road
building and urban transport policy. The second addressed
population control and the rights and power of women. The
third panel looked at sustainability and the state. Various
perspectives -- summed up in the terms franchise state, new
governance and development regime -- were explored. The fourth
panel connected sustainability with environmental concerns,
especially in connection with expanded commercial shrimp
cultivation, increasing rice production,
and environmental degradation. The final panel looked at the
institutional side of sustainable development. The two fields
which were explored were institution-building in primary
education, and the role of Japanese Christian NGOs.

Throughout the workshop, discussants stressed the need to
connect various debates within  Bangladesh studies which have
hitherto remained largely separate, especially those on
development, politics and cultural change. The country's
future depends vitally on new, more positive links between
development, polities and cultural change, and these need to
be explored by social scientists.

The next workshop will be held in Norway in August 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE EUROPEAN NETWORK OF BANGLADESH
STUDIES, ITS NEWSLETTER, AND ITS
WORKSHOPS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Mark Ellison
ENBS
Centre for Development Studies 
University of Bath
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 225 826826 ext. 5803 or 5825
Fax: +44 225 826381