Welcome to Bangladesh Culture and Heritage. • The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power inancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BCE. Originating from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo-Gangetic plains (modern Bihar, easternUttar Pradesh and Bengal) in the eastern side of the Indian subcontinent, the empire had its capital city at Pataliputra (modern Patna). The Empire was founded in 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overthrown the Nanda Dynasty and rapidly expanded his power westwards across central and western India taking advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal westward by Alexander the Great's Greek and Persian armies. • Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh. It dates back to 700 BCE and was the ancient capital of the Pundra Kingdom. Lecture 1 • Introduction among students and teacher-why studying history? • An overview of the course Lecture 2 • Land and People: Geographical features; • early settlements and archaeological evidence. • Origin of the term ‘Bengal’-river system- Janapadas- Wari Bateshwar-Mahasthangarh Lecture 3 • Ethnicity and demography: • Bangladesh as an ethnic melting pot: diverse ethnic groups including those from prehistoric, ancient and medieval period- population growth and related issues Lecture 4 • Political History-1: • Ancient Bengal- an overview, Sashanka- Matsanayam-Gopala and the political significance of Pala dynasty- Sena dynasty Lecture 5 • Medieval Bengal- an overview: • Iliasand Hossain Shahi Dynasty and their Contributions Lecture 6 • Bengal under the Mughal: The Bara Bhuiyans and the Mughalization of Subah Bangalah Lecture 7 • Midterm 1 Lecture 8 • Colonial Bengal-1: • Battle of Plassey 1757- Expansion of the British Empire- 1857: First War of Independence? Political parties and figures- Congress- Muslim League- Subhas Bose- Nehru- Gandhi, Jinnah- FazlulHuq and Suhrwardy Robert Clive Lecture 9 • Colonial Bengal-2: • The Permanent Settlement and its impact; Resistance against the British Colonial rule: Peasant Movements and Insurgencies in Bengal; New Institutions of Rule under British Raj Lecture 10 • Growth of Nationalism in (India) Bengal Lecture 11 • Art, Architecture and Culture: • Evolution of Bangla language and literature, Eminent literary figures and their works; Bengal Renaissance Lecture 12 • Material art, architecture, Music and Folk Culture: Origin and Evolution Lecture 13 • Religions and Society: • Gender and Minority history, Place and role of women in the history of Bangladesh, Indigenous communities of Bengal Lecture 14 • Midterm 2 Lecture 15 • Education: • Nalanda, The Growth of Education during Islamic and Colonial periods Lecture 16 & 17 • Emergence and expansion of Islam: • Theories of Islamization, Sufism; different forms of expression of Islam over the time Lecture 18 • Political History-2: First Partition of Bengal, 1905 and Its Consequence Lecture 19 • Presentation of the students in group Lecture 20 & 21 • The British Raj and the Second Partition of Bengal in 1947: • Impacts: Political, Economic, Cultural Lecture 22 & 23 • Social changes in the modern times: Emergence of the Bhadralok class; Bengali Muslim middle class; modernization; social changes Lecture 24 • Final Examination Raja Ram Mohan Roy Curzon Hall - House of Science Faculties Subhas Chandra Bose Kazi Nazrul Islam Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy A. K. Fazlul Huq Recommended books • 1. Sirajul Islam (Ed.), 2012, Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, 2nd Edition, Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. • 2. Salahuddin Ahmed and Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury (eds.), 2004, Bangladesh: National Culture and Heritage: An Introductory Reader, Dhaka: Independent University Bangladesh. • 3. Sharif Uddin Ahmed, ‘Urbanization’, in Sirajul Islam (ed.), 2010, History of Bangladesh 1704-1971, volume 3, Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. • 4. Meghna Guhathakurta and Willem van Schendel (eds.), 2013, The Bangladesh Reader. History, Culture, Politics, London: Duke University Press.