Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology Volume 8 Number 1 January 2011 Special Issue: Religious Studies in South Asia: The Dhaka Initiative With Joseph T. O’Connell as the Guest Editor Note from the Editor 4 Introduction to Religious Studies Joseph T. O’Connell 5 in South Asia: The Dhaka Initiative Sociological Approach to Research K.A.M. Saaduddin 19 on Religion: Bangladesh Perspectives Historical Overview of Religious Kazi Nurul Islam 26 Pluralism in Bengal Aryan Religious Traditions in Bengal Paresh Chandra Mandal 34 from Gupta through Sena Periods: An Introductory Note Buddhism in Bengal: A Brief Survey Niru Kumar Chakma 37 Reflections on Islamisation in Bengal Abdul Momin Chowdhury 45 Chaitanya Vaishnava Devotion (bhakti) Joseph T. O’Connell 51 and Ethics as Socially Integrative in Sultanate Bengal Between Puritan Islamic and Syncretistic Iftekhar Iqbal 64 Muslim Traditions in Bengal: An Ecological Perspective on the Faraizi Movement Historical Sketch of the Christian Md. Shaikh Farid 72 Tradition in Bengal