Piash Karim

Manjur Karim Piash (; 1958 – October 13, 2014) popularly known as Piash Karim was a professor, researcher and political commentator with specializations in political economy, political sociology, nationalism and social theory. His uncle served as the second inspector general of police. Piash Karim received his primary education from Comilla Modern School and secondary education from Comilla Zilla School. He completed his higher secondary education from Adamjee Cantonment College, Dhaka.

Later, Karim obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dhaka. He completed his master's degree and PhD in sociology at Kansas State University after moving to the United States. He was arrested by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 for distributing leaflets in favour of the freedom movement of Bangladesh.

Career Karim, after completing his master's degree and PhD, served as a faculty member of two American universities for seventeen years. He joined the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as a faculty member. Later, he worked as an associate professor at Culver–Stockton College, Missouri for another few years. In 2007, he returned to Bangladesh and joined BRAC University as a professor in the Economics and Social Sciences Department. In Bangladesh, he wrote several articles on nationalist politics, civil society and media activism. After his death, the Awami League-oriented organizations threatened to desecrate his body if it was brought to the Shaheed Minar.