The Begum of Bengal had a Dream: a Liberal Feminist Reading of RokeyaSakhawat Hossain’s Life and Works

Abstract

That Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) is a renowned feminist in general terms in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Bengali literature is an established critical view. Previously nascent in the writings of her immediate predecessors, her emergence in the rich literary spectrum of her time has not only introduced feminism as a complete trend of writing, but contributed heavily to making a respectable world for the neglected women of the age and beyond. But she has been partially and narrowly categorized as a Muslim or Islamic feminist because of her inclination for changing the lot of the suppressed, oppressed, deprived and secluded Muslim women of the period. This view falls short of properly weighing her writings and so, needs more distinctively elaborate evaluation and categorization for a better understanding of feminist approach ingrained in them. Therefore, the paper investigates the type of Rokeya’s devout feminism on a theory-based analysis. For this purpose, it simultaneously discusses her unique contribution as a social worker towards female emancipation to make a world of their own and critically analyzes her literary stance from liberal feminist discourse.