Bangladeshi women played a prominent role in the July mass uprising that liberated Bangladesh from the stranglehold of an authoritarian regime. Their participation in equal measure alongside men gave the movement crucial energy and moral strength, helping it succeed. In post-authoritarian Bangladesh, however, women find themselves largely excluded from the nation-remaking initiative. Their contribution to the uprising is being systematically erased from public memory. Amid loud and dramatic debates, orthodox fundamentalists are pushing for backward gender laws and anti-women policies, drowning out women’s demands for dignity and equality. It is more urgent than ever that the interim government delivers on its promise of empowering women by addressing the systemic barriers that hinder their equal participation at all levels of society.
In this Shuddhashar webinar with Dr. Samina Luthfa and Prapti Taposhi, moderated by Khushi Kabir and hosted by Dr. Lisa Knight, we reflect on the role played by Bangladeshi women in the July Uprising, and address the challenges they face in their struggle to create a new Bangladesh that is free of gender-based violence and that guarantees gender equality.
Dr. Samina Luthfa is Professor of Sociology at the University of Dhaka. As an activist-researcher and playwright-actor, her work spans environmental and social justice movements, political ecology, gender, popular culture, and media. She is also a central committee member of the University Teachers’ Network, Bangladesh. Luthfa played a significant role in the July Uprising, actively participating in discussions and seminars. She was widely recognized as one of the key activists of the movement.
Prapti Taposhi, a graduate of Jahangirnagar University, has been an activist for nine years. She has played key roles in the Quota Reform, Road Safety, and Anti-Rape Movements. She founded Shekol Bhangaar Podojaatra, the first midnight women’s march in Dhaka. Actively protesting during the July Uprising, she was the first student to denounce the regime in international media (DW, Al Jazeera, BBC). She continues to advocate for women’s and minority rights, democracy, and justice.
Khushi Kabir is a human rights activist with a long career advocating for landless, indigenous, and women’s rights in Bangladesh and South Asia. Since Bangladesh’s liberation in 1972, she has worked closely with rural communities, joining Nijera Kori (NK) in 1980, where she now serves as coordinator. NK, a nonhierarchical civil society organization, empowers landless peasants to organize for their rights. A committed feminist, environmentalist, and humanist, she actively promotes peace, equality, and resistance against all forms of violence across regional and international platforms. She is on the Advisory Board for Shuddhashar FreeVoice.
Dr. Lisa I. Knight is professor of South Asian Religions and chair of the Department of Anthropology at Furman University, Greenville, SC. She is co-director and editor of Shuddhashar FreeVoice.
