« Heightened risk: Gabriel L. Schwartz, Theresa Rocha Beardall, Jaquelyn L. Jahn, ‘Heightened risk of fatal police violence in and around reservations for American Indian/Alaska Native peoples in the United States’, PNAS, 123, 11, 2026, #e2521002123

Settler colonialism in Bangladesh: Anwar Hossain, ‘The Position of Bengali Settlers in Development Dynamics: The Case of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh’, Asia Social Issues, 19, 3, 2026, #285525

15Mar26

Abstract: The paper portrays the positioning of Bengali settlers within the development dynamics of the Chittagong Hill
Tracts (CHT). The development ventures counteract several contested questions, such as land disputes, concerns related
to the resettlement of Bengalis, the economic and political challenges facing ethnic minorities, the biased access to trade
and tourism, and the unfriendly sociocultural relations. Besides, the inclusion of Bengali settlers as unwelcome guests
through the resettlement program creates a counterproductive conflict and displacement politics between the government
and the Pahari political groups, which situates the settlers in a disadvantaged position. The findings recognised that the
social, political, and economic circumstances of the Bengali settlers are more subpar than those of their counterparts. The
state and its agencies’ mandates are a potential source of contention in terms of resettling internally displaced settlers in
CHT. Since the settlers represent nearly a quarter of the marginalised communities, they seek equitable development
initiatives that benefit all. The article theoretically examines the politics of development through the lens of the motives
and the rationalisations of resettlement. Based on empirical research, the study employed an integrated approach to
explore the everyday experiences of Bengali settlers living in the CHT, utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods
to support the findings with empirical evidence.


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