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This year marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of Bangladesh, a nation that emerged from a bloody fight for independence from Pakistan. The story of Bangladesh's liberation is one that is well told by the nation; the official narratives are exchanged often - and often by heart. Stories of the origins of the movement, of its key events and soldiers who emerged victorious in December 1971 after nine months of intense guerrilla warfare are recounted in schoolbooks...
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This year marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of Bangladesh, a nation that emerged from a bloody fight for independence from Pakistan. The story of Bangladesh's liberation is one that is well told by the nation; the official narratives are exchanged often - and often by heart. Stories of the origins of the movement, of its key events and soldiers who emerged victorious in December 1971 after nine months of intense guerrilla warfare are recounted in schoolbooks across the country, year after year.
But individual stories stray from these narratives. They begin long before the start of the war in March 1971, and continue far beyond its conclusion. They are stories of women who grew up in the heart of the Language Movement, went to college amidst intense social upheaval. Who found themselves in the middle of a war-torn country - and at the frontlines of the battle for its independence.
A woman's war is distinct. She not only has to be a fighter, but is also expected remain a mother, wife, and anchor of the family. Women performed key roles in the war, serving as combatants, informants, nurses, weapons smugglers, and much more. They also suffered its consequences: psychological trauma, physical debilitation, mass rape, and the destruction of their homes and livelihoods. At the end of the war, they were left with the dual burden of confronting its scars while attempting to reconstruct their own and their family's lives.
Yet their ordeals remain largely invisible; as Sharmeen Murshid writes, "the 16 volume history of the liberation war published by the government shows an incredible amnesia about the role of women combatants...only emphasiz[ing] women as victims." With national memory neglecting women's contributions, their struggles both during and after the war remain unrecognized.
I set out a year ago hoping to learn some of the accounts of these women. What I found was a whole other history from the one that I had read about in books and papers.
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