Economic Exploitation of Bangladesh (review)

The future independence and emancipation of a nation is determined by the identity and history of those who create the nation. Bangladesh was no exception. The tormented history of the country that emerged in 1971 as result of a Civil War and the grotesque violence that defined that war has been tragic and seemingly inevitable. Not surprisingly, like many Third World countries (although I would rather call it a Fourth World country), Bangladesh began with a dream to create a golden Bengal. Those who first fought for the new country meant it to be a land of prosperity and peace. Bangladeshi patriots wanted to author a 'true history' of the nation. this 'colony of a colony,' the subjected half of a country called Pakistan. They were not successful.

Since its creation, many have written books on Bangladesh. Regrettably, far too many of these books were neither authentic nor historically accurate. Some were written by Indian Pundits and Pakistani military chauvinists, they were nearly worthless because they either had an axe to grind, a victory to flaunt or a disgrace to hide. On the other hand, Western authors who took Bangladesh as a topic often failed to identify the living pulse of the nation, the drive which motivated the people of Bangladesh to bring the new country into being. In many cases, Western authors treated the history of Bangladesh, its poverty and its politics as elements of a case study in underdevelopment and failed state-making. Because of this, their work appears a bit simplistic even when laden with genuine insights. In some cases. writers on Bangladesh produced an idea - - Bangladesh - - which treated the country as a bottomless pit into which they could toss any idea that occurred to them. In the hands of some, writing Bangladesh's tortured history became act of glorification meant to abet a personality cult and local political ambitions. Unsurprisingly, these works were useless simplifications when they weren't outright falsifications of what had happened to the country since 1947.

Happily, the book l wish to review here, Economic Exploitation of Bangladesh, written by Mr. Mahfuz Chowdhury, avoids these problems. It is balanced and scholarly contribution to the history of Bangladesh.

Mr. Chowdhury, 's book can be divided into several sections. The first deals with the earliest history of the Turkic invasion. A second deals with the Mughal Empire and the British Raj. The last section deals with more recent history and economy and its future.

The very strength of his book lies in the fact that, not only does it discuss the historical background of the country, it also seeks to explain the underdevelopment of the independent %rate of Bangladesh by identifying the root causes of such in the local economy and the social fissures specific to the nation. In short, Mr. Chowdhury addresses Bangladesh's current economic crisis with a historically informed economic perspective. In doing so, he often shuttles back and forth between a classic critique of imperialism (the British plunder Bangladesh because they can and that is what the British Empire did when it could) and the neo-imperialist theories that have emerged over the past forty years or so (world systems theory). After 1947, it appears that West Pakistan greatly exploited its East Pakistani counterpart. Mr. Chowdhury, quite rightly emphasizes this point in his chapter on the two regions of the prepartition (1971 and before) Pakistan. He rightly locates the principle cause of Bangladesh's underdevelopment in West Pakistan's exploitation of East Pakistan.

Furthermore, this book deals categorically with the role played by the Bangladeshi elites, whether their activities fostered or hindered economic growth since independence (1947 or 1971). While Mr. Chowdhury's book clearly identifies the country's underdeveloped infrastructure as a key problem faced by local elites, he does not stop there. Though not explicitly explained and discussed by Mr. Chowdhury, he notes the rise of twenty some families who used their political and social positions to exploit the country during the Pakistan era, He goes on to note the growth of this rentier class to two thousand...