This book was conceived on the occasion of the exhibition 'Prisoners of Shothik Itihash' by Naeem Mohaiemen, on view at Kunsthalle Basel from June to August 2014.

'Official history is written as a narration of the so-called major events that are self-evidently of historical relevance. Meanwhile, minor histories, including events not considered relevant, or erased from official accounts, are marginalised.

Naeem mohaiemen's films, photography, mixed media objects, and essays are based on the commingling of these major and minor histories in relation to the nation state of Bangladesh, seen within the subcontinental triangle of nations, and the particular histories of multiple partitions. The title of the exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel and this accompanying publication—Prisioners of Shothik Itihash (which literally translates into "the prisioners of correct history") is referring to the problematic of histories reflected in the constant alterations made to history books as governments, academics, and institutions keep changing.

This publication brings together essays and images by Naeem Mohaiemen, along with text excerpts from other "doomed" protagonists' - excerpts from Introduction by Fabian Schoneich