Amartya Sen and the Search for a Flourishing and Just Society

Banglar Pathshala Foundation (BPF) • Study Circle #12

Amartya Sen Study Circle in Bangla

ThemeAmartya Sen and the Search for a Flourishing and Just Society
ConvenerProfessor Dr. Siddiqur Rahman Osmani (Ulster University, UK)
CoordinatorAhmed Javed Chowdhury (City University, Bangladesh)
DurationAugust 2022 – March 2023

The Amartya Sen Study Circle, organized under Banglar Pathshala Foundation (BPF), comprised a total of 14 academic engagements, including 13 thematic sessions and a formal Inauguration Programme.

The inaugural session was graciously inaugurated by Nobel Laureate Economist Professor Amartya Sen himself as the Chief Guest, marking a moment of profound intellectual significance.

The series brought together leading scholars, academics, and engaged participants from Bengali-speaking communities across the world into a shared space of rigorous and reflective dialogue. It created a vibrant forum for exploring diverse dimensions of Amartya Sen’s thought and its contemporary relevance.

This initiative represents one of the first concerted efforts to bring together Bengali-speaking scholars on a global scale under a unified intellectual platform. The discussions were enriched by multiple perspectives, lived experiences, and disciplinary approaches, making the Study Circle a truly global academic engagement rooted in Bangla intellectual tradition while engaging universal concerns.

List of Academic Sessions

The Capability Approach and Human Development
Dr. Selim Jahan (Former UNDP)
6 Aug 2022
Demands and Commitments for Gender Equality
Dr. Sajeda Amin (Population Council, NY)
27 Aug 2022
Plurality of Human Identity and Global Peace
Professor Manabi Majumdar (Pratichi Trust, Kolkata)
10 Sep 2022
Amartya Sen’s Interpretation of Adam Smith
Ahmed Javed Chowdhury (BPF, Dhaka)
24 Sep 2022
The Centrality of Education
Professor Achin Chakraborty (IDSK, Kolkata)
8 Oct 2022
Entitlements, Hunger, and Famine
Dr. Binayak Sen (BIDS, Dhaka)
15 Oct 2022
Public Reasoning and the Practice of Democracy
Mr. Anirban Chattopadhyay (Editor, Anandabazar Patrika)
22 Oct 2022
Democracy and Development
Professor Mushtaq Khan (SOAS, University of London)
29 Oct 2022
Interpreting the Indian Sub-continent
Professor Sugata Bose (Harvard University, USA)
5 Nov 2022
Ethics, Economics, and Human Rights
Professor S. R. Osmani (Ulster University, UK)
12 Nov 2022
Social Choice, Public Policy, and Individual Liberty
Professor Kaushik Basu (Cornell University, USA)
19 Nov 2022
Technology, Employment and Development
Dr. Rizwanul Islam (Former ILO)
26 Nov 2022
The Idea of Justice
Professor S. R. Osmani (Ulster University, UK)
18 Mar 2023
Banglar Pathshala Foundation © 2023
Download Details

Youtube Recording of All Sessions