Experiencing Bangladesh: History, Politics, and Religion

By Scott Elliott

History, Politics, and Religion is the first in the Experiencing Bangladesh series written by Scott Elliott who spent eighteen years working and living there. In this concise, simple to read guide with plentiful photos, Scott shares his first hand experience in hopes that other expatriates who are relocating or traveling to Bangladesh can benefit. Scott touches on some of the strengths and weaknesses of Bangladesh and offers his view of the way forward.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329006782

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Experiencing Bangladesh: History, Politics, and Religion

Experiencing Bangladesh

History, Politics, and Religion

Experiencing Bangladesh: History, Politics, and Religion

First Edition

Copyright, 2015, Scott Alan Elliott

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-329-00678-2

Introduction and Information about the Author

I believe the reader should know who I am, why I am writing this book, and what if anything qualifies me to write such a book about Bangladesh. I am US citizen Scott Alan Elliott and I have lived and worked in Bangladesh for almost eighteen years with a couple of breaks since June 1997. I feel it would be a great waste if I did not share what I have learned and experienced in Bangladesh with other expatriates coming to Bangladesh or already in Bangladesh if what I have learned can be of benefit to them.

This is not a book based on research but rather personal first-hand experience. It is one person’s experience as an expatriate over a significant period of time in Bangladesh. Such a perspective is not readily found in travel guides and fact books. Hopefully the insights provided will make you better prepared if you are coming to Bangladesh for an extended period of time or have already recently arrived in Bangladesh for whatever purpose.

I dare not title this book series Understanding Bangladesh but rather Experiencing Bangladesh. After eighteen years in Bangladesh, I still do not profess to fully understand Bangladesh, so such a title would be quite presumptuous. Experiencing Bangladesh is thus a more suitable title, since it is indeed based on my personal experience while in Bangladesh.

I speak as an expatriate and I will never understand Bangladesh in the way that a Bangladeshi national understands his own country. However, as an expatriate, I might be able to relate to you assuming you are an expatriate reader more easily than a Bangladeshi would.

In writing this book, I am not operating according to any plan, but I am simply writing it as it comes. I am simply taking the plunge and moving forward, since there does not seem a better way for me to do it, and in the real world all such projects including this one have a time-table. There might be a better way to organize this material, but I believe there is value also in letting thoughts flow into print as they come. So this flowing methodology is governing how this book is written.

What basic categories are there in writing this kind of book? I had originally started to write a book titled, Experiencing Bangladesh through Expatriate Eyes. As I experienced frustration trying to complete such an undertaking, the idea came to me that I could break this one huge book into five smaller books. Each smaller book would be easier for me to complete writing and easier for a potential reader to digest. This book, "Experiencing Bangladesh: