Speaker

Farhad Mazhar

Farhad Mazhar (born 9 August 1947) is a Bangladeshi poet, philosopher, and activist whose work spans literature, human rights, and grassroots mobilization. He is the founder and managing director of UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative), a research and advocacy organization committed to community-led resistance against globalization and the search for alternative development pathways. Trained in pharmacy at the University of Dhaka and political economy at The New School for Social Research, Mazhar lived and worked in New York during the 1970s–80s before returning to Bangladesh. A lifelong Marxist thinker, he has critically engaged with questions of class, religion, spirituality, and post-colonial identity, often challenging both state authority and the conventional Left. His 2023 book Gono-ovyutthan o Gathan (Mass Uprising and Constitution) inspired student leaders in Bangladesh’s recent uprising. Widely regarded as a radical intellectual, Mazhar’s writings and activism have drawn both acclaim and controversy, marking him as a major voice in Bangladesh’s political thought.