Webinar: “A Corona Story” – Diasporic Experiences of the Pandemic

The Department of English and Humanities at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organized a webinar titled "A Corona Story": Diasporic Experiences of the Pandemic, by Dr. Chris Tang, Lecturer in International Education & Applied Linguistics, King's College London, in association with the English departments of NSU, BRACU, and IUB, and coordinated by Professor Shaila Sultana. The webinar was held online on January 22, 2022.

At the webinar, Dr. Chris Tang, Lecturer in International Education & Applied Linguistics, King's College London, disseminated his findings of a project funded by King's College and the Swadhinata Trust. An animation film was launched at the webinar. This film is the outcome of the study and focuses on the experiences of a Bangladeshi family living in East London. The study and film offered insights into a different kind of applied linguistics through an exploration of the roles of language, family life and community in how UK Bangladeshis had to learn about and live with the coronavirus.  

The animation film showed a unique way of reaching communities and possible ways of transforming lives. In addition, the project showed the strength of interdisciplinary collaboration including with non-profit organizations and community members.

The project team included Dr Chris Tang, Julie Begum and Ansar Ahmed Ullah of the Swadhinata Trust, Mrs Rajahan Begum, one of the project participants, and Diwas Bisht, the film's animator. In addition, the project raised awareness of the strengths of an interdisciplinary collaboration for ensuring rigor in research. Participants saw a demonstration of how research projects can be strengthened by collaborating with other researchers from other disciplines, non-profit organizations, and community members. Finally, the project showed a significant history of diaspora and life trajectories of Bangladeshi immigrants in the UK, and their contribution in economy, culture, and history of the UK.

The webinar can be viewed here.