Swadhinata Trust Oral History Project

Fifty two oral history recordings compiled as part of the project, 'Tales of Three Generations of Bengalis in Britain', by the Swadhinata Trust (Nirmul Committee) and CRONEM (Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity & Multiculturalism, University of Surrey) covering three areas of interest:'roots and memory' (dialogue between first and third generation on the history of Bangladesh and the 1971 war of independence),'community creativity' (dialogue between second and third generation on welfare and community involvement in the UK, from the 1970s-80s),'popular culture: between tradition and innovation' (across three generations, mainly focusing on traditional and more recent British Bengali musical heritage, from the 1970s-80s) (2006)

The Swadhinata Trust is a London based non-partisan secular Bengali group that works to promote Bengali history and heritage amongst young people. The Swadhinata Trust has been operating since November 2000, offering seminars, workshops, exhibitions and educational literature to young Bengali people in schools, colleges, youth clubs and community centres in the United Kingdom. The Swadhinata Trust promotes Bengali history and culture to ensure its representation as an essential part of the history of Britain and by extension, our contemporary world.

The Swadhinata Trust archive is divided into the following three sections:

• SWADHINATA TRUST/1: Roots and memory: the history of Bangladesh and the 1971 war of independence
• SWADHINATA TRUST/2: Community creativity-dialogue between second and third generation on welfare and community involvement in the UK, from the 1970s-80s
• SWADHINATA TRUST/3: Popular culture - between tradition and innovation - Across three generations, mainly focusing on traditional and more recent British Bengali musical heritage

OPEN

Deposited at the Bishopsgate Institute by the Swadhinata Trust , 18 July 2006.

Adlib catalogue and copy of handlist available in researcher's area.

Entry compiled by Grace Biggins.

Photocopying and digital photography (without flash) is permitted for research purposes on completion of the Library's Copyright Declaration form and with respect to current UK copyright law.