Neha Patil (Editor)

Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
5.8
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron
5.8
1 Ratings
100
90
80
70
60
51
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Country
  
United States

Publication date
  
April 1, 2011

ISBN
  
978-1849040495

Author
  
Sarmila Bose

Publisher
  
C. Hurst & Co.

People also search for
  
War and Secession

2.9/5
Goodreads

Language
  
English

Pages
  
288

Originally published
  
1 April 2011

Page count
  
288

Genre
  
History

Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War t3gstaticcomimagesqtbnANd9GcTTuf5sWZiaff7eoi

Media type
  
Print (hardcover and paperback)

Book event dead reckoning memories of the 1971 bangladesh war


Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War is a controversial book on the Bangladesh Liberation War written by Sarmila Bose.

Contents

Bose claims that allegations of genocide and rape by the Pakistan Army were exaggerated by Bangladesh and India. She presents interviews of some selected witnesses in favor of her opinion. She also accuses Bangladeshi liberation accounts of ignoring atrocities against Urdu-speaking people in East Pakistan. Bose's book implies a claim to being the 'first' to dissect the death toll of 3 million in 1971, but it has been termed as 'hollow' and 'self-promotional' as researchers like Zunaid Kazi had already documented 12 different media estimates of death tolls. Some of the books on Pakistan Army's atrocity during 1971, written by Pakistanis were termed as 'limited' by Bose. Sarmila Bose has responded to three of her most notable critics – Naeem Mohaiemen, Urvashi Butalia, and Srinath Raghavan – in an academic publication.

History book review dead reckoning memories of the 1971 bangladesh war columbia hurst by sarm


Criticism

Bose's study has been criticized by various historians and academics for numerous inaccuracies and excessive reliance on Pakistani military and government sources, thereby giving a low estimate of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. Researchers have accused her of flawed and biased methodology, historical revisionism and downplaying war crimes. In several cases, she misquoted her interviewees and other academics that she cites as reference. Bose has been criticized for her bias towards Pakistani Army in the language she deploys — Bangladeshi accounts are labelled “claims”, Pakistani officers’ accounts are straightforward accounts. Bose's impartiality has also been questioned due to her role as an advocate of US arms sales to Pakistan.

Bose has been criticized long before publishing the book for her research methodologies. She accepts the statement of Pakistani Brigadier Taj that no women were tortured in Rajarbag to be true even though Taj was not present during the operation. But she invalidates the testimony of an eye witness of the incidents of rape done by Pakistani Army as the witness is illiterate. In another case, she asserted that since one rape victim feared for her life, she must have consented to having sex with Pakistani soldiers.

References

Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War Wikipedia