The cultural research of Bangladeshi filmmaker and folk scholar Shamol Shishir is garnering significant international attention following his selection for a research internship at Concordia University in Canada and an invitation to a prestigious global folklore conference.
Shishir has been invited to participate in a conference held by the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD), one of the world’s most influential academic networks for the study of music, dance, and performance.
Affiliated with UNESCO, the ICTMD comprises ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and cultural historians who examine living traditions and intangible cultural heritage.
Shishir’s inclusion in this academic space signals a growing international interest in South Asian vernacular performance cultures, particularly those originating from rural and gendered spaces.
At the centre of Shishir’s research is a documentary project titled “biye’r geet” (Bengali wedding songs). This project explores oral and performative traditions deeply embedded in rural wedding rituals across Bangladesh.
Often created and performed by women, these songs are documented not merely as cultural artifacts, but as living expressions of creativity, agency, and social commentary.
In a significant boost to the project’s scholarly standing, Professor Graham Seal, Emeritus Professor of Folklore at Curtin University, Australia, has agreed to serve as Shishir’s mentor.
Professor Seal is a globally respected scholar known for his extensive research on folklore, myth, and national identity.
Speaking on the direction of his work, Shishir emphasised the necessity of repositioning Bengali wedding songs within global discussions of intangible cultural heritage.
He noted that these songs reflect women’s creative voices in community life, an area that has historically been underrepresented in mainstream cultural documentation.
With the combined support of institutional recognition from Concordia University, the ICTMD’s global scholarly network, and the mentorship of Professor Seal, Shishir’s project is increasingly situated within international academic and cultural discourse.
