Accepted Panels

At the juncture of secular forces and religious motivations, Bangladesh has shown significant transformations lately with irresolute social and cultural expressions. In a tumultuous process of development, religiously motivated practices both contributed to and challenged the social transformations and while being a part of it developed many incoherences and conflicts within. In line with the larger debate on Islamization, secularization, and post-Islamism in Bangladesh, this article pores relevantly young trends of Salafism as a response to the secular order. Highlighting the above trajectory, the study shows the markers of secular formation in Bangladesh alongside the neoliberal strategies; economic and political domains to be specific, and then the rise of Salafism as a distinctive yet protective identity in the post-Islamist trends. The main objective of this study is to explore the link between the recent trends of religious expressions and the neoliberal spirits in the context of post-Islamism with a particular focus on Salafi rise in Bangladesh. The key objectives are: a) Explore how the followers of Salafism identify in the public sphere; b) Investigate mundane religious practices and ritualistic activities in Salafi context; c) Record and evaluate Salafi expressions, d) Identify the reconciliation strategies of Salafi expressions with the material world; and e) Analyse the contents of the Salafi sermons in the research context, from trivial to most significant aspects. Based on ethnographic visits, the study argues that Salafi ideology fails to challenge the neoliberal approaches in Bangladesh, rather it helps them sustain if not expedites them. The study also unveils the inner struggles of Salafi expressions and some inherent paradoxes.