This dissertation examines class and ethnicity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Southeastern Bangladesh. The indigenous people of this region are now in a minority because of the influx of Bengalees. This study argues that ethnic conflicts, ethnicity or "tribalism" in the CHT emerged as consequences of British, Pakistani and Bengalee colonialism, modernization and development projects undertaken by the international development agencies; these factors changed the relations of production and were accompanied by militarization of the area and a destruction of the traditional mode of life. Ethnicity as an ideology has played a determinant role in the CHT rather than class, despite the fact that the CHT groups and the Bengalees are divided into several socio-economic levels. Here, class interests and class issues are undermined and overshadowed by the presence of ethnic antagonisms and an ideology of "tribalism" among Bengalees and the indigenous CHT peoples.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74652 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Dewan, Aditya Kumar |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Anthropology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001236617, proquestno: AAINN67750, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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