Perween Hasan

Perween Hasan is a Bangladeshi academic and women's rights activist.^[1][2] She is the chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh.^[3] She is the Vice-Chancellor of the Central Women's University.^[4][5] In 2024, she received the Begum Rokeya Padak from the Government of Bangladesh.^[6]

Early life

Hasan completed her bachelor's degree and master's in English from the University of Dhaka.^[7] She did her second master's in Regional Studies and PhD in Islamic Architecture from Harvard University in 1984.^[7][8]

Career

After Hasan completed her PhD she joined the Department of Islamic History and Culture at the University of Dhaka.^[9]

From 1993 to 1994, Hasan was at the Oberlin College as the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence.^[8]

From 1998 to 2000, Hasan served as a founding executive committee member of American Alumni Association.^[10] Hasan was recognized by the American Alumni Association 2005 for her contributions to the association.^[11]

Hasan wrote and published her book Sultans and Mosques: The Early Muslim Architecture of Bangladesh in 2007.^[8] She also published Old Churches and Cemeteries of Dhaka.^[12] She presented the key note paper in the 2011 'Cultural Transformations: Development Initiatives and Social Movements conference.^[13]

In 2013, Hasan wrote in the Allal or Dulal website and accused Dr. David Nalin of being a smuggler of antiquities from Bangladesh.^[14] She presented a paper titled "Situating Rokeya" at the Begum Rokeya Day event of women and gender studies department of the University of Dhaka.^[15]

Hasan was the guest of honor at the book launch of Untold Stories of Migrants: Dreams and Realities by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit in January 2017.^[16] She was named one of the Anannya Top Ten Awards (2016) recipient in 2017.^[17] She hosted a session of the International Conference: Refugees in the Public Imagination: Discourse on (Dis)location and (Dis)placement at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh in December 2017.^[18][19]

In August 2018, Hasan signed a petition asking the government to investigation allegations that Shahidul Alam had been tortured in detention by law enforcement officers.^[20]

Hasan was elected chairperson of the Board of Trustee of the Transparency International Bangladesh.^[21] She replaced Advocate Sultana Kamal as chairperson 22 February 2020.^[22] She inaugurated the 15th Anti-Corruption Cartoon Exhibition in December 2020.^[23]

Hasan is member of the Trustee Board of Bangladesh Freedom Foundation.^[24] She is a subject editor of Banglapedia.^[25] She is a member of the advisory board for Bangladesh of the South Asia Foundation.^[26]