Elite conceptions of Muslim identity from the partition of Bengal to the creation of Bangladesh, 1947–1971

Abstract

The historic partition of Bengal in 1947 caused a shift in the composition of the Muslim and Hindu political elite who were now geographically bounded into two separate newly formed provincial states of East Pakistan and West Bengal. The aim of this article is to explore the transformation in elite conceptions of identity in East Pakistan from the post-1947 era until the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. The prevalence of two new competing elites created a great dichotomy in the way identity was conceived. The change of these elite groups fundamentally altered the view of identity that was articulated during this period.