পূর্ব বাংলার নারীশিক্ষা ও ব্রাহ্মসমাজ (১৮৪৬-১৯০০) : সংস্কার ও পরিবর্তনের পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে মূল্যায়ন
মো: হাসাইবুর রহমান*, শান্তা পত্রনবীশ**
*প্রভাষক, ইতিহাস বিভাগ, ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
**সহযোগী অধ্যাপক, ইতিহাস বিভাগ, ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59815/isp.vol4306

Abstract: Reform movements in Bengal in the mid-nineteenth century increasingly emphasized the transformation of women’s status, with women’s education emerging as a central issue. While Calcutta became the hub of women’s education, eastern Bengal lagged behind due to conservative attitudes of the patriarchy towards women’s education, purdah, child marriage, and deeply rooted religious-cultural obstacles. Against this backdrop, the spread of women’s education in eastern Bengal during the latter half of the nineteenth century marked a significant social and cultural shift, with the Brahmo Samaj playing a pioneering role. This study examines the initiatives of the Brahmo Samaj of eastern Bengal in promoting women’s education in this region between 1846 and 1900, exploring the socio-cultural contexts that shaped these efforts and their impact on society. Methodologically, this qualitative research employs historical and analytical approaches, drawing on primary sources such as contemporary newspapers, autobiographies of Brahmo leaders, and publications of the Brahmo Samaj, as well as secondary works. The findings suggest that the Brahmo Samaj identified women’s education as a precondition for social progress and worked toward it through the establishment of schools, curricular reforms, associations, and public advocacy. These initiatives gradually influenced middle-class attitudes though the process was marked by tensions between concepts of colonial modernity and local religious-cultural resistance. While the impact of the Brahmo Samaj was largely confined to urban areas, educated middle classes, and followers of a particular faith, the movement nonetheless laid the groundwork for women’s informal and institutional education in eastern Bengal. In the long run, these efforts became an important precursor and guiding force to wider socio-cultural transformation of this region.

Key Words: East Bengal Brahmo Samaj, Women’s Education, Social Reform, Religious Conservatism, Modernization of Women.