Salimullah Khan

Life

Salimullah Khan was born in his parental home in Cox's Bazar. He grew up in Maheshkhali. He passed his SSC (secondary school certificate) exam from Chittagong Cantonment High School and HSC from Chittagong College. He studied Law at the University of Dhaka. In 1976, while a student, Salimullah Khan met noted intellectual Ahmed Sofa. Sofa introduced him to Professor Abdur Razzaq. For a brief period, he was involved with the student wing of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.

During 1983-84, he taught at the University of Rajshahi. During 1985-86, he taught at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. In 1986, he went to the United States. He did his Ph.D on 'Theories of Central Banking in England, 1793-1877' from the New School. Returning home, he joined East West University where he taught Economics during 2001-02. He was Fellow at SOAS, University of London and Stockholm University. In 2006, he joined Stamford University, Dhaka, Bangladesh as a Professor in the Department of Law.

Salimullah Khan is currently the Director of Centre for Advanced Theory at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. He is associated with a number of organisations such as Center for Asian Arts and Cultures, Ahmad Sofa RashtraSabha, etc.

Works

In his early years, Khan wrote a book on Abdur Razzaq's famous lecture: “Bangladesh: State of the Nation" in 1981. Ahmed Sofa was critical of Khan's evaluation of Razzaq. Khan edited a periodical called Praxis Journal published during 1979-1986/87.

He is critical of the global and regional political economy and culture. His criticism is informed by Marxist theory. He has underscored the significance of anti-colonial movements, and denounces Western interventionism. Salimullah Khan analyzes Western thought and discourse through critical scrutiny of the colonial and imperial legacy of the West. From this angle, he has written on the works of Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, Michel Foucault, Frantz Fanon, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Edward Said, Aime Cesaire, Talal Asad and many others. Khan was introduced to the works of Jacques Lacan in 1997 and since then he has had an extended engagement with the latter's thought. His books Freud Porar Bhumika and Ami Tumi She use the Lacanian theory to shed light on different national and global figures and issues.

Bengali language, literature, and culture is another area of his work. Khan has written on Lalon Shah, Ramaprasad Chanda, Jasimuddin, Roquia Sakhawat Hussain, Ahmed Sofa, Abul Hasan, film maker Tareque Masud and some of his contemporaries. He has been critical of certain prescriptions on Bengali orthography. Khan has argued in favor of adoption of Bengali in official usage in Bangladesh. He has been critical of the inadequate role of Bangla Academy in publication of advanced knowledge in Bengali language. He has berated the upper classes of Bangladesh for their betrayal against Bengali. He advocates for an inclusive education system in Bangladesh. In April 2017, as the government of Bangladesh took the decision to recognize the Dawra degree of the Qawmi madrasa system, Khan hailed the decision as important for integration of Qawmi group into the national mainstream. He has discussed how Islam was propagated in Bengal through the medium of Bengali language.

He has highlighted Kazi Nazrul Islam as an anti-colonial and democratic thinker cherished dearly by the people of Bengal. His book Ahmed Sofa Shanjibani provides an expansive assessment of the works of Ahmed Sofa. He appreciates Sofa as an important thinker on society and politics in Bangladesh who is the veritable successor to the philosophy of Nazrul. He edited a collection of writings by Ahmed Sofa on Rabindranath Tagore.

In his book Behat Biplab, he analyzed the strategic and political aspects of the liberation war of Bangladesh. He has highlighted the three fundamental principles of the liberation war: equality, human dignity, and social justice. In a 2011 debate arranged by bdnews24.com, Salimullah Khan critiqued the portrayal of the Bangladesh Liberation War in the film Meherjaan. During the Shahbagh Movement in Dhaka, Salimullah Khan came forward in strong support of the war crime trial. He has intervened in recent debates on the number of martyrs in the Liberation War of Bangladesh.

Khan analyzes the issue of communalism and extremism from a historical perspective. and locates the origin of communalism in South Asia in the British colonial period. His analysis of communalism has also touched upon the Rohingya question, He denounced communal attacks and suggests that upholding social justice is critical to drive away communalism from the national arena. He defends equal right of all communities to observe respective religions. Proper education and guidance is critical to dissuade the young generation from going down the path of extremism.

Khan has translated the works of Plato, James Rennell, Charles Baudelaire, Frantz Fanon, Dorothee Sölle into Bengali.

Khan takes part in television talk shows and debates.