Women & Society

1
Uprising
Uprising
Tahmima Anam
On a sinking island off the coast of Bangladesh, a community of women and children lives under the brutal control of Amma, a madam who buys and sells women trapped in sexual exploitation. The children grow up watching their mothers endure violence and servitude, dreaming of a freedom they can barely imagine. Everything begins to change when Kusum Khan, an educated young woman from the city, arrives on the island and refuses to accept her fate. Inspired by her defiance, the women begin to challenge the system that has kept them captive for generations. Told through the collective voice of the island’s children, Uprising is a powerful story of resistance, female solidarity, and the fight to reclaim one’s life. Against the backdrop of environmental vulnerability and entrenched inequality, Tahmima Anam explores how even the most oppressed can find the courage to imagine another world.
Bangladesh 2026
2
Sultana's Dream and Padmarag
Sultana's Dream and Padmarag
Rokeya Hossain
What would the world look like if women held the power and men were confined to the home? In Sultana’s Dream, a pioneering feminist science-fiction story, Sultana discovers Ladyland, a peaceful, technologically advanced society where women lead scientific progress and men observe purdah. In Padmarag, a diverse community of women builds a refuge offering education, shelter, and independence to those constrained by marriage, poverty, and social prejudice. Written nearly a century before many contemporary feminist debates, these visionary works challenge patriarchy, religious and social conventions, and colonial power. Together, they imagine a world where women’s liberation begins not simply with equality, but with the freedom to shape society on their own terms.
Bangladesh 1905