This South Asian Heritage Month, Dr Layli Uddin shares how her research is relevant to the month, resources to help us understand the context of the month, and books and films we can use to educate ourselves about the culture and history.
I am a Leverhulme and Early Career Fellow and Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of South Asia at the School of Politics and International Relations. I am a political and social historian of modern South Asia, working across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. My work focuses on alternative histories of partition and independence, in particular I am interested in histories of resistance. I examine how poor and marginalised communities challenged colonial exploitation and violence, postcolonial state authoritarianism, and imperialism. My work shows how socio-economically marginalised constituencies actively contributed to emancipatory politics, and envisioned futures beyond narrow nationalist politics.
I am currently writing my first book ‘Land of Eternal Eid: Making and Unmaking Pakistan’ which offers a long perspective on the formation of Bangladesh in 1971. I focus on the political mobilisation of landless and poor peasants, and urban working-class and their relationship to a charismatic religious figure and politician called Maulana Bhashani, also known as the Red Maulana. Challenging elite biases in existing narratives, my work shows how peasants and workers were not just silent bystanders of history, but actively contributed to rich politics of decolonisation. They argued for radical equality, anti-imperialism and Afro-Asian solidarities and love.
I am also working on a second project ‘Red Islam’, a transnational study of Islamic Socialism in South Asia, from the 1920s up to the 1978 Soviet-Afghan war. I trace the travels of radical South Asian religious leaders across Asia, Russia and the Middle East, and their leadership of left political movements at home. By doing so, I intend to show how South Asian Islam contributed to 20th century progressive left politics in the region and beyond.
1. Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Local Archives, 277 Bancroft Road, Mile End a. Regular exhibitions and rich collection of material, includes newspapers, reports, correspondence, photographs, diaries and books.2. Idea Store, Whitechapel a. Art installation outside the store on the 1971 war Bangladesh’s independence.3. Four Corners, Bethnal Greena. Exhibition and events on Bengali activism in East London: Brick Lane 1978: The Turning Point4. Rich Mix, Bethnal Greena. Regular community events.5. Whitechapel Arts Gallery, Whitechapela. Regular exhibitions, some of which engage with community histories.
6. Brick Lane Circle, Tower Hamletsa. Seminars, workshops, events and community projects.
7. Nijjormanush, Tower Hamletsa. Events, workshops and campaigns. 8. Everyday Muslim, Londona. Events, projects, walking trails. 9. Shwadinata Trust:a. Events, projects and publications. 10. India at 75, British Library. 11. South Asia Heritage Month.