Partition of Identity: An exploration of Belonging in Bengalis in Pakistan, 1971- 2021

Following the violent Liberation War of 1971 in which Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan, there was a wave of migration from Bangladesh to the more economically stable Pakistan. Often settling in Sindh province, particularly Karachi, these Bengali migrants have participated widely in the Pakistani economy. Many have been refused citizenship rights in line with the Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 and despite their Pakistan-born children and grandchildren having little direct knowledge of Bangladesh, they remain without official documentation. This can create challenges in everyday activities (around education, employment and health) and strengthen the idea that they are not 'true' Pakistani citizens as emphasised by a wider state narrative. Recently, with the arrival of a newly elected government, momentum has been building towards granting the community full rights. Moreover, with the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's creation in 2021 drawing ever closer, our project comes at a critical time.

Our research takes place in 3 phases and overall, we aim to investigate how the identities and contributions of these Bengali migrants are understood within the community, and how they have they been understood by a wider Pakistani state narrative since 1971. Furthermore, we aim to understand how these two accounts influence each other.
No existing record of this group exists. By co-producing a new history of identity, activism, migration memory and belonging with our interviewees and arts partners, we will ensure that the voices of Pakistani Bengalis are recorded and heard. Our sample will be diverse including Pakistani Bengali men, women and young people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our project will:

- transform academic and public understandings of how lack of citizenship influences social identity and sense of belonging, and stimulates resistance, among Bengalis in Pakistan, particularly in young people. This will be through creating written and aural records from this group, accessible for anyone to read or listen to.
- expand understandings of how social representations of minority groups can influence their treatment and social positioning in the developing world
- enhance awareness of the Pakistani Bengali minority group in terms of its cultural heritage and socio-economic contribution to Pakistan through the range of project outputs

The project will be conducted with a series of partners based in the UK and Pakistan. These include: UCL, Where the PI is based, Lahore University of Management Science, where the Co-I is based, the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, National College of Arts, Lahore Students Union and Pakistan Institute for Education and Labour Research. Our partners will be involved to differing degrees in the 3 research phases. In Phase 1 we will conduct a strategic search through historical, policy and media documents for depiction of the community. This will inform the interview and archival elicitation work in Phases 2 and 3. It will also give information on wider state and media representation of this group. Phase 2 will involve oral history interviews and archival elicitation with 48 adults and 30 young people. We will also conduct art workshops with young people. Here we will gather information on community representation of self. In Phase 3, artists and musicians will re-imagine both state representation and also community representations to produce new outputs based on the community.

By the end of the project, we will have created and developed a new oral history archive, art and music based on the research, a documentary, a website, online exhibition, museum exhibition, two output events, media articles, 3 journal articles and co-edited book. Most importantly, we will advance the field by generating important new knowledge regarding the Bengali community in Pakistan following their migration in 1971 and ensure that their stories are told and voices are heard.

This study will raise the profile of the Bengali community in Pakistan following their migration in 1971. Through our generational and cross-sectional approach to research, we will ensure stories are told and voices are heard. Through professional and local networks of the Project Partners (The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), The National College of Arts (NCA), The Lahore Students Union and The Pakistan Institute for Education and Labour Research (PILER) and journalists from BBC Urdu, Dawn and Herald), Partition of Identity will produce:

- A new oral history archive housed at the Citizens Archive of Pakistan
- New art outputs and music
- A project website with an online exhibition
- A documentary film directed by an award winning filmmaker
- A temporary museum exhibition at the National History Museum and film screening event
- 2 output events (one community level in Machar Colony, one at the Pakistani High commission)
- At least 3 academic journal articles
- 2-3 newspaper reports for Dawn, Herald and BBC Urdu
- A landmark co-edited book on the community

In doing so we will produce short, medium and long term outputs and outcomes and engage members of Pakistani Bengali community; Human Rights Groups and NGOs, Museum and Cultural Studies organisations:
Members from the Pakistani Bengali Community: We will provide a platform to tell the stories of this minority community. Through exploring documentary resources on the group and asking for their opinion on state and media representation, through co-producing the first oral history archive, which will be housed in one of the most prestigious organisations Citizens Archive of Pakistan; and open access following the research. We will, work with artists to produce art and music to tell the story of the community and produce a documentary whose aim is to provide a visual narrative of this group.

Human Rights Groups and NGOs: This project brings together NGOs (Lahore Student Union) and Advocacy and rights groups (Pakistan Institute for Labour Education Research - PILER) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as journalists (Dawn and the Pakistan Herald) to facilitate the formation of new partnerships and networks. The findings will inform policy and practice and news outputs. Moreover, they will be presented at Pakistan High Commission of Pakistan whose audience will be made up of key stakeholders in the policy field. The project comes at a timely point of reflection, of 50 years since the creation of Bangladesh, and this will feature in the impact narrative.

Museum and Cultural Studies organisations: We will hold an exhibition at one of Pakistan's most prestigious museums - the National History Museum. This will provide a new exhibition for the museum and will be the first time it represents this particular community. The exhibition will be a co-production between the researchers, the artist partner and the museum curator. The art and music produced in the research as well as excerpts and narratives of the community will all be presented. This will also provide a platform for the emerging artists in the research to be showcased at a high-profile event.

General Public: For the first time, the general public will have access to a well-informed and accurate portrayal of this migrant community as told by the community, but at the same time reflecting on state narrative. The public will have access to outputs, through our documentary, which we intend to screen at film festivals, our output events and website. We will also attempt to use platforms such as the YouTube streaming service to get this film out. Our newspaper reports (in both Urdu and English) will tell the story of this group, as will our website including an online exhibition. Our exhibition at the National History Museum will be open to the public and schools and will be promoted by social media. CAP has a dedicated YouTube channel and website and will promote the new archive.