Faculty Profile

Dr. Md Nazrul Islam

Professor

Contact Information

  • Office Address: Department of Political Studies, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh
  • Phone: +8801710186176
  • Email: mni-pss@sust.edu, mdnazrul001@ntu.edu.sg

Biography

Md Nazrul Islam is Professor of Political Studies at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh. He received PhD in Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His works appeared in various international peer-reviewed journals including Contemporary Islam, International Area Studies Review, Bandung: Journal of the Global South, Religions, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, Social Sciences, Politics, Religion & Ideology, Children's Geographies, Labor History, Development in Practice, and International Journal of Environmental Studies. He recently published a book (co-authored) entitled Islam and Democracy in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). Dr. Islam’s research interests include religion, politics and governance; democracy and human rights; religion, environment and development; poor and marginalized communities, and Bangladesh studies.

Selected Publications
Books
1. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Saidul Islam. 2020. Islam and Democracy in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Book Chapters
1. Islam, Md Nazrul. 2023. "Emergence of Islam and the Formation of Muslim Society in Bangladesh." In The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation, edited by Syed Serajul Islam and Md Saidul Islam, 15-42 (London: Routledge).

2. Islam, Md Saidul and Md Nazrul Islam. 2023. "Jamaat and Bangladesh: Towards a Cohesive Narrative." In The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation, edited by Syed Serajul Islam and Md Saidul Islam, 238-248 (London: Routledge).

3. Islam, Md Nazrul. 2021. “Political Islam: Islam and Politics in Bangladesh (Bengali).” In 50 Years of Bangladesh Politics, edited by Tareque Shamsur Rehman, 51-100 (Dhaka: Shova Prokash).

Journal Articles
1. Islam, Md Nazrul. 2022. “Faithful Participation: The ‘Ulama in Bangladeshi Politics.” Politics, Religion & Ideology 23(2): 177-203.

2. Islam, Md Nazrul, Mumena Mahfuza Chowdhury, Md Ahsanul Hoque, and Sanwar Jahan. 2022. “The Rohingya Crisis: Perspectives of Bangladeshi Religious Leaders.” Contemporary Islam 16: 353-377.

3. Islam, Md Nazrul. 2021. “Political Islam in South Asia: A Critical Appraisal of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.” International Area Studies Review 24(4): 314-334.

4. Al-Amin, Md and Md Nazrul Islam. 2020. “The Application of Foucault’s Disciplinary Power to Microcredit Programmes in Two Villages of Sylhet, Bangladesh.” Development in Practice 30(1): 101-112.

5. Al-Amin, Md and Md Nazrul Islam. 2020. “Voices of the Poor: Demystifying the Nexus between Rights and Agency of Bangladesh’s Tea Workers.” Labor History 61(3-4): 369-387.

6. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Al-Amin. 2019. “Life behind Leaves: Capability, Poverty and Social Vulnerability of Tea Garden Workers in Bangladesh.” Labor History 60(5): 571-587.

7. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Al-Amin. 2019. “The Rampal Power Plant, Ecological Disasters and Environmental Resistance in Bangladesh.” International Journal of Environmental Studies 76(6): 922-939.

8. Islam Md Nazrul and Md Saidul Islam. 2018. “Politics and Islamic Revivalism in Bangladesh: The Role of the State and Non-State/Non-Political Actors.” Politics, Religion & Ideology 19(3): 326-253.

9. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Saidul Islam. 2018. “Islam, Politics and Secularism in Bangladesh: Contesting the Dominant Narratives.” Social Sciences 7(37): 1-18.

10. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Saidul Islam. 2017. “Islam and Democracy: Conflicts and Congruence.” Religions 8(104): 1-19.

11. Islam, Md Saidul and Md Nazrul Islam. 2016. ““Environmentalism of the Poor”: The Tipaimukh Dam, Ecological Disasters and Environmental Resistance beyond Borders.” Bandung: Journal of the Global South 3(27): 1-16.

12. Islam, Md Nazrul and Md Saidul Islam. 2015. “Human-Animal Relationship: Understanding Animal Rights in the Islamic Ecological Paradigm.” Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies 14(41): 96-126.

Education

  • PhD in Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; 2017
  • MSc. in International Relations at RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; 2012
  • MSS in Political Science at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; 1997
  • BSS (Hons) in Political Science at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; 1996
  • HSC in Humanities at Government B. M. College, Barishal, Bangladesh; 1993
  • SSC in Humanities at Ranapasha Secondary School, Nalchity, Jhalakathi, Bangladesh; 1991

Research Interests

  • Religion and politics, secularism, political Islam, democracy and human rights, environment and development, marginalized and poor, and Bangladesh studies

Active Research Project

  • 1. Religious Freedom of the Christian Minority and Muslim-Christian Relations in Bangladesh

Previous Research Project

  • 1. Ethnicity, Culture and Human Development of Bangladesh’s Tea Workers

External Affiliations

  • Member, Nanyang Technological University Alumni Association, Singapore
  • Member, Dhaka University Alumni Association, Bangladesh
  • Member, Bangladesh Poliitcal Science Association
  • Adviser, Barishal Divisional Citizens Welfare Association, Sylhet

Journal Publications

  • 1. No dreams, no gain: aspiration failure, poverty traps and the tea workers’ children in Bangladesh, Labor History
  • 2. Breaking the barriers: the capacity to aspire for higher education of Bangladesh tea workers’ children, Children's Geographies
  • 3. Ethnicity, culture and human development of Bangladesh's tea workers, Labor History
  • 4. Jamaat and Bangladesh: Towards a Cohesive Narrative (Book chapter). In The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation, edited by Syed Serajul Islam and Md Saidul Islam, 238-248 (London: Routledge)
  • 5. Emergence of Islam and the Formation of Muslim Society in Bangladesh (Book chapter). In The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation, edited by Syed Serajul Islam and Md Saidul Islam, 15-42 (London: Routledge)
  • 6. Faithful Participation: The ‘Ulama in Bangladeshi Politics, Politics, Religion & Ideology 23 (2): 177-203
  • 7. The Rohingya Crisis: Perspectives of Bangladeshi Religious Leaders, Contemporary Islam 16 (2-3): 353-377
  • 8. Political Islam in South Asia: A critical appraisal of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, International Area Studies Review 24 (4): 314-334
  • 9. Political Islam: Islam and Politics in Bangladesh (Book chapter in Bengali). In 50 Years of Bangladesh Politics, edited by Tareque Shamsur Rehman, 51-100 (Dhaka: Shova Prokash)
  • 10. Voices of the poor: demystifying the nexus between rights and agency of Bangladesh’s tea workers, Labor History 61 (3-4): 369-387
  • 11. The application of Foucault's disciplinary power to microcredit programmes in two villages of Sylhet, Bangladesh, Development in Practice 30 (1): 101-112
  • 12. Islam and Democracy in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh (Book published by Palgrave Macmillan)
  • 13. Life behind leaves: capability, poverty and social vulnerability of tea garden workers in Bangladesh, Labor History 60 (5): 571-587
  • 14. The Rampal Power Plant, Ecological Disasters and Environmental Resistance in Bangladesh, International Journal of Environmental Studies 76 (6): 922-939
  • 15. Democracy Promotion in American Foreign Policy: Normative or Instrumental? Journal of Asian Politics and Society 2 (2): 40-73
  • 16. Politics and Islamic Revivalism in Bangladesh: The Role of the State and Non-State/Non-Political Actors, Politics, Religion & Ideology 19 (3): 326-353
  • 17. Islam, Politics and Secularism in Bangladesh: Contesting the Dominant Narratives, Social Sciences 7 (3): 1-18
  • 18. Islam and Democracy: Conflicts and Congruence, Religions 8 (6): 1-19
  • 19. The Sociology of Religion: A Comparison of Marx and Weber, Journal of Politics and Administration 3 (1): 66-75
  • 20. “Environmentalism of the poor”: the Tipaimukh Dam, ecological disasters and environmental resistance beyond borders, Bandung: Journal of the Global South 3 (27): 1-16
  • 21. Global Food Regimes: Explaining Rice and Shrimp Production in Bangladesh, Asian Profile 43 (5): 485-498
  • 22. Human-animal relationship: Understanding animal rights in the Islamic ecological paradigm, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies 14 (41): 96-126
  • 23. Sophia’s Correspondence with President Obama: A Durkheimian Analysis of Contemporary American Society, Research on Humanities and Social Sciences 3 (15): 70-78
  • 24. Nation-Building in Singapore: A Search for National Identity, Asian Profile 41 (5): 497-506
  • 25. Non-Party Caretaker Government in Bangladesh (1991-2001): Dilemma for Democracy? Developing Country Studies 3 (8): 116-127
  • 26. Cold War Japanese Foreign Policy: Principles, Challenges, and Responses, Asian Profile 40 (6): 587-594
  • 27. Understanding good governance in Islam: A conceptual analysis, International Journal of Islamic Thought 1 (1): 49-62
  • 28. Fixing Post-Genocide Society in Cambodia: Examining Law, Rule of Law and Aspirations, Journal of Sociology 4 (1): 63-72
  • 29. Political Development and Growth of Nationalism in Malaysia, The Chittagong University Journal of Social Sciences 28: 99-108
  • 30. Local Governance and Sustainable Development in Bangladesh: The Need for Accelerated Voluntarism and People’s Participation, Asian Affairs 29 (4): 5-28
  • 31. Bangladesh Foreign Policy in South Asia: Dynamics, Shifts, Options, Bangladesh Political Science Review 4 (1): 103-116
  • 32. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation: Current State and Future Directions, Bangladesh Political Science Review 3 (1): 69-78

Teaching

  • Contemporary Political Thoughts (Masters level course)
  • Human Rights in Bangladesh (Masters level course)
  • Political Management in Bangladesh (Bachelor level course)
  • Ancient & Medieval Political Thought (Bachelor level course)
  • History of the Emergence of Independent Bangladesh (Bachelor level course)

Awards & Recognition

  • The Jessore Education Board Merit General Scholarship, 1991
  • The Jessore Education Board Merit General Scholarship, 1993
  • The University of Dhaka Scholarship, 1993-1997
  • Student Research Assistant (SRA) Study Award, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2011-2012
  • NTU Research Scholarship (PhD Scholarship), School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2012-2016

Graduate Supervision

  • 1. PhD and M. Phil. students