SITUATING ANTHROPOLOGY IN BANGLADESH: Transformations and Trajectories in the Anthropology Tradition

Abstract

The Anthropology tradition, and the associated 'production of knowledge in the academic field, is relatively of recent origin in Bangladesh. The article intends to shed light on anthropology as becoming a separate field of knowledge through exploring the historical trajectories and significant transformations in Bangladesh. Anthropology remains a changing discipline in this country and as such, it continues to remain endlessly fascinating. The anthropological enterprises, in understanding social realities of this region, have begun in early fifties of the twentieth century. The early anthropological enterprises by individual scholars have paved the pioneering institutional pathways of engagement with anthropology in late seventies. The present article extensively reviewed these major anthropological enterprises in Bangladesh from a historical perspective, identifying changing subject matters and trends within this academic tradition, shifting patterns of interests, and depicting areas of activities and concerns of anthropology in this region. Drawing on the empirically grounded works, in Bangladesh and neighboring regions, the paper would allow the readers to assess the overall attainments and limitations of contemporary anthropology in Bangladesh. The article would critically analyze some of the existing dilemmas, contested issues, and contemporary theoretical and practical challenges of applying anthropological perspectives for accelerating development in Bangladesh.

The magic bullet for rural development? Exploring the impacts of community telecenters in Bangladesh

“…Nationally, close to 4 million people (3.5% of the population) have accessed and used UDC services each month (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2014). Estimates show that the UDCs processed 2.1 million online registrations for prospective migrant workers, provided m-banking to 33.4 million citizens and issued 77 million birth certificates, among others (Rashid and Shafie, 2018). Several private providers, including commercial banks, insurance companies and telecom operators have partnered with UDCs to offer their services at the grassroots level, thus adding to their portfolios and income.…”

“…The UDCs are uniquely positioned to tackle such problems. First, unlike the earlier initiatives, UDCs have been established throughout Bangladesh, effectively bringing the entire rural population within the scope of their operations (a2i, 2016; Rashid and Shafie, 2018; Faroqi and Collings, 2019). Second, at the core of UDC operations is the delivery of public services.…”

Rethinking the Bangladesh state

“…Another way is to connect with prior professional ethnographic research, which began to be practised in the region that is now Bangladesh in the 1940s. For overviews, see Adnan (1989), Saqui and Akhtar (1987) and Rashid and Shafie (2017). Mukherjee’s (1971) study of six villages in Bogra between 1942 and 1946 was a landmark.…”