Abstract
Bangladesh has a strong tradition of self-help during natural disasters, a remarkable amount of social movement activism, and a large number of non-governmental organisations supporting people in micro-credit schemes. In this article, we shed light on the hitherto neglected field of self-organisation initiatives among the indigenous population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh. We critically evaluate organisational types initiated and formed by community members themselves and analyse one particular form, the samaj organisation among the Tanchangya. Based on an analysis of samaj’s defining characteristics and features, and its significance for self-regulation in indigenous communities, we compare our findings with writings on samajes of Bengali Muslims and Hindus. In our case, the local Buddhist temple and social events are major arenas where the duties and responsibilities associated with samaj membership become apparent. Rather than constituting the ‘traditional’ counterpart to ‘modern’ institutions, samaj continues to represent a specific and informal mode of community-formation which continues to take over important social, ritual, and political functions within the contemporary society shaped by nationalist state-formation. We conclude by arguing that samaj among the Tanchangya is constituted by reciprocative and redistributive practices which strengthen a collective sense of belonging.
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Notes
- 1.
Interestingly, the compilation of statistics published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in 2018 fails to mention either religious or linguistic differences (see BBS, 2018).
- 2.
This number originates from the 2011 census. Indigenous groups, however, claim that the number of indigenous is as high as five million (see Chakma & Chakma, 2021).
- 3.
Bangladesh has been identified as a ‘weak state’ within a ‘strong society’ (White, 1999).
- 4.
For example, kabi samaj (poet’s association) and sahitya samaj (literary association/society) among Bengalis.
- 5.
The Union Parishad (Union Council), comprising of a chairman and twelve members, represents administrative geographical unit called union. A union is made up of nine wards, each of which are comprised of a number of villages. The elected union council members are entrusted with providing services to local citizens in relation to development, law and order, and welfare. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd
- 6.
A mauza is a territorial administrative unit and is comprised of a number of villages.
- 7.
A circle is comprised of a number of mauzas. The British divided much of the CHT into three circles and 373 mauzas following the annexation of the CHT in 1860.
- 8.
The CHT’s indigenous peoples reportedly experienced over a dozen massacres between 1970s and 1990s, carried out by Bengali settlers with support from the state (see Mohsin, 2002).
- 9.
Some members perform puja or pujo (animist rituals) involving ancient deities in addition to Buddhist rituals—an expression of syncretism which is quite prevalent in South Asia.
- 10.
If the host family wishes, religious rites involving life-course events can be performed in the temple as well.
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Chakma, B., Gerharz, E. (2022). Samaj as a Form of Self-Organisation among Village Communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. In: Neubert, D., Lauth, HJ., Mohamad-Klotzbach, C. (eds) Local Self-Governance and Varieties of Statehood. Contributions to Political Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14996-2_7
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