Gender and social exclusion/inclusion: a study of indigenous women in Bangladesh

Wazed, Soniya (2012). Gender and social exclusion/inclusion: a study of indigenous women in Bangladesh. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Since the nineteenth century, social exclusion and inclusion have been prominent concepts in policy debates across Europe. This thesis discusses the fact that poverty and social exclusion are often seen as closely related, overlapping or even indistinguishable in the existing literature. Thus there are no uncontested definitions of poverty, social exclusion and inclusion, and these concepts remain the subject of definitional disagreements among intellectuals. This research has tried to bring out these concepts in a gender perspective on Bangladesh as a developing country, examining indigenous women’s status at the domestic and wider societal levels and recent developments in this.

The data were collected using qualitative methods. Data analysis was done through the qualitative approaches that are presented by thematic analysis. The findings of this research indicate that the processes of social exclusion and inclusion of indigenous people, especially women, need to be addressed in a policy paper, since creating appropriate policy tools would be the best way of spreading – rather than imposing – the basic values and standards necessary to give a sense of inclusion to all the people of Bangladesh. At the same time, this research has highlighted the fact that, though Chakma and Garo indigenous women live in communities with different social structures – patriarchal for Chakma women and matrilineal for Garo women – in practice these two groups share common life experiences.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):