Abstract
Through a critical examination of British colonial policies in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh, this paper challenges the conventional wisdom that colonial administration had a benevolent strategy of ‘protecting’ indigenous peoples. To this end, this paper specifically dispels three examples of such protectionist rhetoric advanced in the CHT by the British colonial administration: protection of hill people from external invasions, from the exploitation of dominant Bangalee groups, and from their own oppressive chiefs. I conclude that these protectionist policies were in fact self-interest motivated and, therefore, often proved to be counterproductive for hill peoples by further empowering dominant Bangalees and tribal chiefs. Therefore, in engaging with the question of ‘protection’ of ordinary hill peoples in the CHT from ongoing oppression and marginalisation, we must consider new paradigms, beyond the colonial isolationist and seclusionist model of protection.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 210-235 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | International Journal on Minority and Group Rights |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 May 2018 |
Keywords
- colonial protection
- Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)
- Bangladesh
- British colonial rule
- ethic marginalization
- legal history
- indigenous communities