Women war and making Bangladesh : remembering 1971

Abstract

The year of 1971 became a signifying marker transforming the political dynamics of South Asia. Forty years on, the International Crimes Tribunal, set up for the purposes of prosecuting Bangladeshi citizens who have allegedly committed war crimes during 1971, has started its proceedings.1 While the Tribunal has generated much international interest and also criticism, the thin scholarship on the conflict is gradually increasing, ranging from innovative initiatives such as conversations about the war involving Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian analysts;2 visual media attempting to unlock contentious and often concealed narratives through films, blog posts, fictions and non-fictions; and finally recent academic publications delving deep into various openings, questioning the truth or still multiple truths that framed 1971 as a sacrosanct moment.