Azizur Rahman Mallick (December 31, 1918 – February 4, 1997) was a Bangladeshi

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and

educationist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...

Early life and education

Mallick was born in

Dhaka district Dhaka District ( bn, ঢাকা জেলা, Dhaka jela) is a district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and rests on the eastern banks o ...

. He spent his early life in

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military governme ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. He and his family returned to Dhaka when he was at seventh grade. He passed SSC from Manikganj Model High School in 1934 and HSC from

Dhaka College Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are af ...

in 1936. He studied History at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently it ...

, completing bachelor's degree in 1939 and master's degree in 1940. The following year, he joined the university as a lecturer, and he had further teaching stints at

Chittagong College Chittagong College is a government college in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is the second college established in Bangladesh after Dhaka College. It offers higher secondary education (HSC), bachelor's degree and master's degree. History Having begu ...

and

Rajshahi College Rajshahi College ( bn, রাজশাহী কলেজ ''Rajshahi Kôlej'') is the third oldest institution of higher education in Bangladesh. Established in 1873 in Rajshahi city, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka Co ...

. After World War II, he went to London, where he completed his PhD in History in 1953 from SOAS the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

. His advisor was

Dr CH Philips Sir Cyril Henry Philips, FRAS (27 December 1912, Worcester – 29 December 2005, Swanage, Dorset), knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service ...

Career

Upon returning from London, Mallick joined the history department at

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi, also known as Rajshahi University or RU ( bn, রাজশাহী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), is a public co-educational research university in Bangladesh situated near the northern Bangladeshi cit ...

. He eventually rose to become Dean of the Arts faculty. He also taught South Asian history at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

. He was the founding vice-chancellor of

Chittagong University The University of Chittagong ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, caṭṭagram bishwabidyalay) is a public research university with multidisciplinary faculties situated across a 1754-acres hilly landmas ...

; the work of establishing the university was undertaken in 1964-65 and it was formally inaugurated in 1966. Mallick was actively involved in the Bangladesh liberation movement and, after independence in 1971, held a series of important government posts. He was the first education secretary and the first ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan. In 1974-75, he replaced

Tajuddin Ahmad Tajuddin Ahmad ( bn, তাজউদ্দীন আহমদ; ; 23 July 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He led the Provisional Government of Bangladesh as its prime minister during the Bangladesh Liberatio ...

as the finance minister. He joined Mostaq Ahmad cabinet immediately after assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He took oath under the

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (also spelled Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmed; – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the President of Bangladesh from 15 August to 6 November 1975, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was part o ...

leadership on August 20, 1975 and remain until the cabinet dissolved. Mallick served as president of the

Asiatic Society of Bangladesh The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh is a non political and non profit research organisation registered under both Society Act of 1864 and NGO Bureau, Government of Bangladesh. The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh was established as the Asiatic Society ...

and

Bangladesh Itihas Samiti Bangladesh Itihas Samiti (also known as Bangladesh History Association) is a non-profit historical association in Bangladesh that publishes and supports research of the history of Bangladesh. History Bangladesh Itihas Samiti was founded in 1966 ...

, and chairman of the

Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি, ) is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh government to foster the Bengali language, literature and culture, to develop and implement nationa ...

. His books include ''British Policy and the Muslims in Bengal'' and ''Amar Jibon Kotha O Bangladesher Mukti Sangram'' (''My Life Story and the Independence Movement of Bangladesh''). He died in Dhaka on 4 February 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallick, A. R. 1997 deaths Bangladeshi civil servants 1918 births Alumni of SOAS University of London Dhaka College alumni University of Dhaka alumni Jahangirnagar University faculty Vice-Chancellors of the University of Chittagong Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members