Oliur Rahman Sun

Oliur Sun is a sunyatavadin and multidisciplinary creator working across textual and visual forms. He is currently a Lecturer at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Before joining ULAB, he was a Tutor at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and served as Chief Wordsmith at Drik Picture Library.

As co-founder of Onushhor, a think tank dedicated to political liberation, and Bodhichitta, a non-hierarchical platform archiving critical philosophy discourses in Bangla, Oliur pushes the boundaries of knowledge and activism.

He also brings his expertise as a language justice consultant at the Foundation for a Just Society and as a consultant for the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, Dhaka. Deeply committed to social change, Oliur’s roots run through various student movements, including environmental activism, shaping his drive for justice and equity.

When not writing for national dailies or socio-politically conscious international media, Oliur organizes and curates shows, talks, and programs that create vital spaces for free speech and challenge the status quo. His work weaves together decolonial thought, intersectionality, and queerness.

MA in Literatures in English and Cultural Studies, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

BA in English, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

Decoloniality, Aesthetics, Human Rights and Social Organization, Queerness, Cybernetics, and Intersectionality

Research Projects:

1. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2018, February 21–22). Diasporic curse or, cure?: Conceptualising diasporic perspectives of the Rohingya and Khyang [Conference presentation]. International Conference on “Frames of Marginality: Interpreting and Interrogating Theory and Praxis,” organized by the Department of English, Raja Peary Mohan College, Uttarpara, and the Department of English, Pandit Raghunath Murmu Smriti Mahavidyalaya, Bankura, West Bengal, India.
2. Sun, O. R., & Tabassum, S. (Presenters). (2018, January 26). “My heart’s calling, oh my friend”: Locating the diasporic consciousness in Rohingya songs [Conference presentation]. International Conference: Refugees in the Public Imagination: Discourse on (Dis)location and (Dis)placement, School of Arts & Humanities, Department of English and Humanities, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
3. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2024, May 24–25). Pedagogical practices in the time of anti-gender ideology [Conference presentation]. National Conference on Critical-Affective Pedagogy for Bangladesh: Teaching Language, Literature, Cultural Studies and Communication in English Studies, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka.

Creative Projects:

1. Sun, O. R. (2025). Countering authoritarian fascism [Creative project].
2. Sun, O. R. (2024). Sakhiyani: A photographic exploration into the making and unmaking of Sakhi [Photographic project].
3. Sun, O. R., & Tehai Interdisciplinary Art Space. (2023). Behula Bashant: A comparative inter-artistic show based on the Padmapurana and Chukri Pala [Art exhibition].
4. Sun, O. R. (2022, December). Tikli: A Daiyar-oriented international interactive and inter-artistic show [Creative project].

Talks, Panels, and Workshops:

1. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2023, April 20). Intersectionality and ishq: Exploring ways to reconcile Muslim identities in subcontinental activism [Presentation]. Smith-Buonanno Hall 106, Brown University.
2. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2023, March 7). Tokenizing marginal identities [Talk]. Drik, Dhaka.
3. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2022, November 4–5). The politics of sexual rights in Bangladesh [Workshop]. Bhaab Boithoki, Tangail.
4. Sun, O. R. (Panelist). (2025, January 3). Minority rights and online disinformation in post-Hasina Bangladesh [Panel discussion]. Center for the Study of Organized Hate, Washington, DC.
5. Sun, O. R. (Workshop Facilitator). (2024, November 24–25). Narrating queer futures [Workshop]. Queer Unschool Southasia, Kaalo101, PhotoCircle, Monash University, Gwaertler Stiftung, and ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen).
6. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2024, November 26). Articulating our unfreedom [Talk]. PhotoCircle Nepal.
7. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2024, November 22). Postmodernist feminism [Talk]. Center for Critical Discourse, University of Dhaka.
8. Sun, O. R. (Presenter). (2024, May 24–25). Pedagogical practices in the time of anti-gender ideology [Conference presentation]. National Conference on Critical-Affective Pedagogy for Bangladesh: Teaching Language, Literature, Cultural Studies and Communication in English Studies, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka.

Television Appearances:

1. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2024, October 22). Days of fascism (Episode 30) [TV series episode]. Bangladesh Television.
2. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2024, November 12). Days of fascism (Episode 45) [TV series episode]. Bangladesh Television.
3. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2024, December 24). Days of fascism (Episode 75) [TV series episode]. Bangladesh Television.
4. Sun, O. R. (Speaker). (2025, March 8). International Women’s Day special [Television appearance]. Channel i.

Awards:

1. Merit Scholarship 2016 by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
2. Academic Scholarship (2013-2016) by Jahangirnagar University

1. Sun, O. R., Azim, F., Sarker, S., Huq, S., Ahmed, S., & Khan, S. A. (Eds.). (2024). English for today: Class 11–12. National Curriculum and Textbook Board.
2. Sun, O. R., Azim, F., Sarker, S., Huq, S., Ahmed, S., & Khan, S. A. (Eds.) (2024). English for today: Class 9 and 10. National Curriculum and Textbook Board.
3. Sun, O. R., Azim, F., Sarker, S., Huq, S., Ahmed, S., & Khan, S. A. (Eds.). English for today: Class 8. National Curriculum and Textbook Board.

1. Sun, O. (2021, September 14). Bangladesh: At a glance. New Internationalist, 38–39.
2. Sun, O. (2020, September 2). Fascistic tendencies, betrayal and TikTok. New Age.
3. Sun, O. (2017, October 27). The colonial hangover in academia. The Daily Star.
4. Sun, O. (2024, August 1). We need to dismantle the dictatorship in Bangladesh. New Internationalist.
5. Sun, O. R. (2024, October 10). Unauthorized ink: Graffiti power and public memory. New Age.