New chapter on plurilingualism and religious texts by 19th century Muslim Bengali communities (ask me if you need a copy)

Rabbi, S. “The Sociolinguistics of South Asian Cosmopolitan Literature: The Dubhasa (Mixed Language Modes) of the Puthi Tradition in Muslim Bengal.” In J. Lee (Ed.) The Sociolinguistics of Global Asias (pp. 156-170). New York: Routledge. Abstract: Scholars of language have long been interested in the widespread plurilingualism of South Asian communication. These linguistic practices provide …

Reflections on Teaching Comp at the HBCU

I have my students read sections of the Tao Teh Ching and Art of War in my composition courses at Bowie     State University. I consider it an introduction to two of the core classical texts that come from one of the         oldest civilizations in the world that also happens to be…Reflections on …

A history of punctuation

How we came to represent (through inky marks) the vagaries of the mind, inflections of the voice, and intensity of feelingBy Florence HazratRead at AeonA history of punctuation

Talking of Rhet-Com in Bangladesh

Speaking about Aristotle might be necessary because of the overwhelming impact he has had on so many academic fields, I will give you that. But I find it hard to rationalize speaking about Cicero or St. Augustine to a Bangladeshi audience. And if such ancient figures are bad enough - they at least have the comparative benefit of being on the written record as opposed to contemporaries in other parts of the word - talking about 20th century figures of rhetorical education as Kenneth Burke s simply inexcusable because they operate in a Western liberal, democratic principle that are not organic to the societies of the Global South. Furthermore, there are extant rhetorical figures and examples readily available for 20th century postcolonial contexts.