Authors :
Dr. Arifatul Kibria; Dr. Md. Shafiqur Rashid; Zakir Hasan
Volume/Issue :
Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 11 - November
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/mt4e8wrv
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/3h65nurw
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25nov1234
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Abstract :
The paper thoroughly examines the historical and contemporary challenges faced by the Indigenous people of
the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh. The paper addresses the impact of land dispossession on the Indigenous
communities in the CHT region. It examines the relationship between land ownership, climate change, and the well-being
of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, the paper delves into the historical background of land ownership in the CHT, the
introduction of colonial policies, and the subsequent displacement of Indigenous communities. The study emphasizes the
importance of approaching these issues from a decolonizing perspective and highlights the need to recognize and address
the historical land rights of Indigenous peoples. A comprehensive review of the literature, historical events, and the
respondents' reflections shows that land disputes lead to displacement and exacerbate the climate crisis. The paper sheds
light on the challenges Indigenous communities face and advocates for the fair and just resolution of land disputes that
have occurred through dispossession, reserved forests, the Kaptai Dam, and other similar issues.
Keywords :
Land Dispossession, Climate Change, Indigenous People, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, Decolonizing Perspective.
References :
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- Communities in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT): Indigenous Land-Based Knowledge and Sustainability in the Context of Settler Colonialism and the Environmental Crisis, Routledge (Taylor & Francis).
- Bhaumik, S. G.; Meghna, G.; Chaudhary, R. (eds.). (1997). Living on the Edge: Essays from the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Kathmandu: South Asia Forum for Human Rights, Calcutta Research Group
- Blieie, T., (2005). “Tribal Peoples, Nationalism, and the Human Rights Challenge. The Adivasis of Bangladesh’’ The University Press Limited
- Chakma, H.K. et. al. (eds) (1995), Bara Parang: The Tale of the Environmental Refugees of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Dhaka, Center for Sustainable Development.
- Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (2000). Life Is Not Ours: Land and Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Update 4. Copenhagen: International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA).
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- Md Ashrafuzzaman (2014). The Tragedy of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh: Land Rights of Indigenous People, Master’s Thesis, Lund University.
- Mey, Wolfgang(ed.)., (1984). Genocide in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. IWGIA Document No. 51, Copenhagen, Pages 189.
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- R. Dunbar-Ortiz (2014). An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States: Revisiting American History, Beacon Press, Boston.
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33. Wilson, S (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous Research Method, Winnipeg 023., MB: Firm wood.
The paper thoroughly examines the historical and contemporary challenges faced by the Indigenous people of
the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh. The paper addresses the impact of land dispossession on the Indigenous
communities in the CHT region. It examines the relationship between land ownership, climate change, and the well-being
of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, the paper delves into the historical background of land ownership in the CHT, the
introduction of colonial policies, and the subsequent displacement of Indigenous communities. The study emphasizes the
importance of approaching these issues from a decolonizing perspective and highlights the need to recognize and address
the historical land rights of Indigenous peoples. A comprehensive review of the literature, historical events, and the
respondents' reflections shows that land disputes lead to displacement and exacerbate the climate crisis. The paper sheds
light on the challenges Indigenous communities face and advocates for the fair and just resolution of land disputes that
have occurred through dispossession, reserved forests, the Kaptai Dam, and other similar issues.
Keywords :
Land Dispossession, Climate Change, Indigenous People, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, Decolonizing Perspective.