Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
Name	Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
Formation	1952
Founder	Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq, A. K. Nazmul Karim
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Dhaka
Location	Bangladesh
Leader title	President
Leader name	A. F. M. Jalaluddin

Contents

Asiatic Society of Bangladesh is a learned society and non-profit research institution based in Dhaka that focuses on the study of Bengal, South Asia, Islamic history, Buddhism, Hinduism, and adjacent fields. Founded in the early post-colonial era, it serves as a major center for scholarship connecting scholars associated with University of Dhaka, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi University, and international institutions such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Columbia University, Harvard University, and School of Oriental and African Studies. The Society maintains extensive collections that support research linking figures like Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Fazlur Rahman, Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda, and archival material related to events including the Partition of Bengal (1947), the Bangladesh Liberation War, and the Indus Valley Civilization scholarship.

History

The Society was established in 1952 against a backdrop that included leaders such as Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq and scholars connected to Aligarh Muslim University, Calcutta University, Presidency College, Kolkata, Visva-Bharati University, and figures like S. R. Bakshi and Jawaharlal Nehru-era intellectual currents. Early patrons included academics influenced by Max Müller scholarship and colonial institutions like the Royal Asiatic Society and the Asiatic Society of Bengal. During the 1950s and 1960s the Society engaged with debates involving Allama Iqbal studies, Muhammad Iqbal, and comparative work on Bengal Renaissance personalities such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War marked a turning point, leading to renewed focus on independence-era archives, eyewitness accounts involving leaders like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and refugees from Kurigram, and scholarship on post-independence nation-building tied to institutions like the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Subsequent decades saw collaboration with UNESCO, the British Council, the Ford Foundation, and regional centers including the Indian Council of Historical Research and the Pakistan Historical Society.

The Society's governance mirrors structures practiced in learned institutions such as the Royal Society, British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of Bangladesh. A general council composed of fellows and elected members—many drawn from University of Dhaka, Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Brac University, and the Bangladesh National Museum—elects an executive committee and president. Committees include sections on Archaeology linked to excavations at sites like Paharpur and Mahasthangarh; language and literature divisions covering Bengali literature and connections to poets like Jibanananda Das and Michael Madhusudan Dutt; and history divisions that liaise with bodies such as the Bangladesh Historical Society and the International Association of Historians of Asia. Financial oversight involves endowments, grants from the Bangladesh Bank-linked cultural funds, and partnerships with philanthropic entities like the Asia Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.

The Society organizes lectures, seminars, and conferences modeled on forums like the Royal Asiatic Society and panels attended by scholars from SOAS, University of Chicago, Peking University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Institute of Historical Research, and regional centers such as the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. Regular publications include monographs, proceedings, and periodicals comparable to the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and engage with topics from Vedic studies to modern political biographies of figures like Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Ziaur Rahman. Major series have featured studies on Sanskrit manuscripts, inscriptions tied to Ashoka, numismatics involving Mughal Empire coinage, and art-historical surveys referencing Pala Empire sculpture and Sultanate architecture. The Society's publishing program collaborates with presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and regional publishers such as University Press Limited.

Collections encompass rare manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Bengali, prints related to Rabindranath Tagore, letters of Kazi Nazrul Islam, and maps reflecting the British Raj's survey work. The library houses periodicals, dissertations from University of Calcutta and Dhaka University, and archival holdings comparable to the National Archives of Bangladesh. Archaeological artifacts from excavations at Paharpur and Mahasthangarh, epigraphic records referring to Chandra dynasty inscriptions, and numismatic collections including Mughal and Maurya coins support comparative work across centers like Bangladesh National Museum and the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. Conservation labs follow protocols championed by institutions such as the International Council on Archives and the International Institute for Conservation.

The Society confers medals and prizes recognizing scholarship in areas echoing awards like the Erasmus Prize, the Prince Claus Award, and national honors such as the Independence Day Award (Bangladesh). Recipients have included historians, philologists, and archaeologists associated with University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Jadavpur University, Patna University, and regional specialists on figures like Chandragupta Maurya, Harshavardhana, and Alauddin Khalji. Honorary fellowships have been extended to academics linked to UNESCO, the British Library, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum, New Delhi.

Outreach includes public lectures, school workshops coordinated with Ministry of Cultural Affairs (Bangladesh), exhibitions in partnership with the Bangladesh National Museum and cultural centers like Sufia Kamal National Public Library, and collaborative training with UNESCO on manuscript preservation. Programs involve youth fellowships modeled after initiatives at Roxburghe Club and exchange scholarships with SOAS, University of Tokyo, University of Pennsylvania, and regional institutions such as Tribhuvan University and University of Colombo. The Society also participates in digitization projects linking to databases maintained by Digital South Asia Library and collaborates on heritage diplomacy with consulates and cultural missions from India, Pakistan, China, United Kingdom, and United States.

Category:Learned societies of Bangladesh