Mapping Sonographic Resistance: Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro and the Cultural Politics of the Bangladesh Liberation War

Abstract

This study examines the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro (SBBK), a radio station that played a critical role during the Bangladesh Liberation War, using Selwyn Cudjoe’s concept of “resistance culture” to frame its impact. More than a news broadcaster, SBBK became a cultural epicenter, fostering nationalist consciousness and unifying resistance against Pakistani forces. Operating from Calcutta, the station balanced relationships with the Indian political establishment and the Mujibnagar government while maintaining autonomy under the influence of left-leaning cultural activists. By analyzing SBBK’s auditory landscape, this research investigates how its broadcasts consolidated a distinct “Bengali” identity, eroding the imposed “East Pakistani” label, and fostered international awareness of the atrocities in Bangladesh. How did SBBK’s broadcasts serve as a counter-hegemonic “sonic archive” that challenged dominant Pakistani state narratives? What role did the sensory experience of these broadcasts play in shaping listeners’ interpretations of wartime violence and trauma? How did this influence post-war cultural memory in Bangladesh? This study positions SBBK as more than a propaganda tool, emphasizing its complex role as a site of sonographic resistance and cultural production. It explores the station’s contribution to global decolonial solidarity within Afro-Asian contexts and its enduring impact on the dynamic interplay between media, nationalism, and resistance. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, this research enriches multisensory historiography by illustrating how auditory resistance shaped political and cultural solidarities during the war.