DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE13.162
Authors: Bayezid Choudhury, Dr. Peter Armstrong
Abstract:
The Jatio Sangsad Bhaban (JSB) or National Assembly Building in Bangladesh is one of the most iconic buildings designed by renowned American architect Louis I Kahn. It was commissioned during the Cold War, when Pakistan and other developing countries were heavily funded by the United States in an attempt to stem the growth of communism. Pakistan was one of the major recipients of this military, civil, technical and cultural assistance from America. Architecture and the arts were employed as cultural weapons during this cold war period. It was against this backdrop that American architect Louis I Kahn was commissioned in 1964 to design the National Assembly Building in East Pakistan. Ksiazek questions the commissioning of Louis I Kahn, asking if it is a form of imperialism at a time of intense global political activity. This paper seeks to reveal the underlying factors that influenced the commissioning of the building. It considers Ksiazek’s hypothesis in the context of the cold war related geopolitical issues of the time.
Keywords: Jatio Sangsad Bhaban, Cultural Imperialism, Bangladesh, America, Cold War, Geopolitics
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