The Third World Charismat: Sheikh Mujib and the Struggle for Freedom

This work focuses on the charismatic leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led a popular mass movement, culminating in the emergence of the eighth populous nation in the world-Bangladesh. Highlighting the linkages between leadership theories and the roles played by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the book has made a significant contribution to the understanding of power relations involving leading political figures of the Third World. A unique dimension of this work is its analysis of Mujib's non-cooperation and civil disobedience movement through several case studies. They shed light on how the Gandhian strategy had been applied to wrest away political control from a military regime. The case study materials were collected personally by the author during the mass movement in March, 1971. A major strength of this work is the observer-participant approach of the author in processing invaluable interviews with Sheikh Mujibur, and those who know him well. Among the latter were Khandokar Mustaque Ahmed, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Sheikh Hasina and Ziaur Rahman. An evaluation of Mujibism in a comparative ideological perspective has sharpened awareness of Mujib's impact on politics, economy and culture of Bangladesh.