Dynamics among Mother Language, Motherland, and Liberation Struggle

Dynamics among Mother Language, Motherland, and Liberation Struggle

Decolonization of South Asia in Perspective

von Rehnuma Sazzad

This book offers a comparative study of how language movements shaped divergent paths of nation-building in postcolonial South Asia. Focusing on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka, it examines why two linguistic struggles—both rooted in cultural rights—produced radically different outcomes: a successful Liberation War in 1971 and a protracted Civil War from the 1980s onward. Drawing on Benedict Anderson, Edward Said, and Gayatri Spivak, it explores official nationalisms (Urdu, Sinhala) versus vernacular counter-nationalisms (Bengali, Tamil); reveals how writers of novels, poems, and plays shaped national consciousness; and highlights contrasting impacts of language movements on women’s emancipation. The book traces the trajectory from cultural grievance to armed struggle, arguing that language rights are not symbolic but structural to political life in decolonized states. By comparing the secular Bengali movement with the sectarian Tamil struggle, it illuminates the possibilities—and limits—of emancipation in modern times.

“Drawing on what are apparently distinct case studies, Rehnuma Sazzad tells a compelling, comparative story of the language movements in Bengal and Sri Lanka. Countering the hegemonic force of postcolonial nationalisms, language as a weapon of conflict can serve progressive and reactionary forces, often within the same polity! A truly pioneering monograph that enhances studies of nationalist movements in South Asia.” (Professor Virinder S Kalra, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, UK)

“Language has always been at the heart of politics and culture across the span of South Asia.  For the region, the border between public and private space in language is non-existent.  Rehnuma Sazzad immensely adds to our knowledge of the critical place of language in South Asian studies by enriching our understanding with cases and subjects too seldom examined or compared.  These engaging perspectives are invaluable and this book makes a deep and original contribution to South Asian language and politics, which will continue to impress.” (Dr H. Kumarasingham, Reader in Politics and History, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, UK)

“Rehnuma Sazzad offers a complex and thoughtful analysis of the relationship between linguistic nationalism, armed struggle, and gender politics in this book. Focusing on the Sinhala-Tamil politics in Sri Lanka and the Bengali-Urdu struggles in Bangladesh, Sazzad frames the discussion through the theories of Edward Said, Benedict Anderson, and Gayatri Spivak. Historically informed and well-researched, this book provides scholars with a comparative exploration of two of the most significant and challenging moments in contemporary South Asian history where language played a key role in the articulation of national identity. This book will be valuable for scholars working on the politics of language in South Asia.” (Professor Nalini Iyer, Department of English, Seattle University, USA)

“A thoughtful and expansive engagement with decolonization in South Asia through the lens of linguistic nationalism. Sazzad offers a comparative examination of the Tamil and Bengali movements in Sri Lanka and undivided Pakistan to make an impassioned case for a pluralist, humanist and feminist national freedom against the grain of statist narratives.” (Professor Priyamvada Gopal, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge, UK)

“Drawing on what are apparently distinct case studies, Rehnuma Sazzad tells a compelling, comparative story of the language movements in Bengal and Sri Lanka. Countering the hegemonic force of postcolonial nationalisms, language as a weapon of conflict can serve progressive and reactionary forces, often within the same polity! A truly pioneering monograph that enhances studies of nationalist movements in South Asia.”
— Professor Virinder S Kalra, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, UK

„A thoughtful and expansive engagement with decolonization in South Asia through the lens of linguistic nationalism. Sazzad offers a comparative examination of the Tamil and Bengali movements in Sri Lanka and undivided Pakistan to make an impassioned case for a pluralist, humanist and feminist national freedom against the grain of statist narratives.“
— Professor Priyamvada Gopal, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge, UK

This book offers a comparative study of how language movements shaped divergent paths of nation-building in postcolonial South Asia. Focusing on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka, it examines why two linguistic struggles—both rooted in cultural rights—produced radically different outcomes: a successful Liberation War in 1971 and a protracted Civil War from the 1980s onward. Drawing on Benedict Anderson, Edward Said, and Gayatri Spivak, it explores official nationalisms (Urdu, Sinhala) versus vernacular counter-nationalisms (Bengali, Tamil); reveals how writers of novels, poems, and plays shaped national consciousness; and highlights contrasting impacts of language movements on women’s emancipation. The book traces the trajectory from cultural grievance to armed struggle, arguing that language rights are not symbolic but structural to political life in decolonized states. By comparing the secular Bengali movement with the sectarian Tamil struggle, it illuminates the possibilities—and limits—of emancipation in modern times.

Rehnuma Sazzad is an Associate and Research Fellow in the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. Her research focuses on Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures, Decolonization, and British Cultural Studies. Her first monograph is  Edward Said’s Concept of Exile (Bloomsbury 2017).

Highlights

• Emphasizes language is not just a symbol of identity, but a fundamental structuring principle of political life Demonstrates that language rights are the bedrock of sustainable peace, not a peripheral concern Examines the complex negotiation underlying language and nationalism, drawing on history, linguistics and sociology

Über den Autor

Rehnuma Sazzad is an Associate and Research Fellow in the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. Her research focuses on Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures, Decolonization, and British Cultural Studies. Her first monograph is  Edward Said’s Concept of Exile (Bloomsbury 2017).