The Bengal Delta Conference 2025, convened in Dhaka by the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA), took place on August 29th and 30th, 2025, under the theme “Bangladesh at the Crossroads: Rethinking Politics, Economy, and Geopolitical Strategy.” The event brought together academics, policymakers, media figures, and global experts to critically address the transformative momentum in Bangladesh following the July uprising. Participants explored how to embed democratic values in political institutions, pursue equitable economic policies, and redefine Bangladesh’s geopolitical role in the Bay of Bengal and beyond in the wake of the July Revolution of 2024. Senior members of Bangladesh’s academic and political community advised the proceedings including Dr. Mushtaq Khan (SOAS), and Mohammad Touhid Hussain, the Advisor for Foreign Affairs to the interim government.

Dr. Maryam Wasif Khan, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at MGSHSS, delivered a keynote speech on the Urdu poet and activist, Fahmida Riaz’s travels to Dhaka in 1986 and spoke in panels, “History, Memory and Politics in South Asia: A Journey from Partition to the Age of Anger,” and “Modernity and Religion: Interactions and Contestations,” alongside scholars from Bangladesh, India, the United States, Turkey and Malaysia. The conference also allowed for close interactions between visiting scholars and Bangladeshi students.