Partition(s) and Bengal

This paper looks at partition theory as regards South Asia and claims that the Bengal partition differed significantly from the Punjab model. It argues that the Punjab partition cannot be seen as a universal model. Moreover, the paper does not regard the partition of 1947 as the sole partition in Bengal, but looks at Bengal’s partition history as part of a process starting in 1905 and culminating in 1971 when East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Finally, the paper emphasizes regionalism as an important component of the Bengal partitions. The paper pays attention to the physical map of partition: the delta, its rivers, ports and cities and their respective hinterlands all have their ‘own’ histories which were reoriented after the partition of 1947. Moreover, a new geographical and political category, the enclaves that emerged post-1947, is also studied. Today, soon after the signing of the New Delhi-Dhaka bilateral agreement, this revisiting of Bengal’s partition history, and the physical map of the two Bengals, is especially significant.