A research proposal on

Ecology and Nationalism in Bangladesh, 1947-1975

Md. Abdus Samad
In my research I would like to explore ecological dimensions of nationalism in Bangladesh
between 1947 and 1975. When India was partitioned in 1947, Bangladesh formed eastern part of
Pakistan and got independence from Pakistan in 1971. Although the partition fulfilled the
demands of mainstream political parties for separate territorial reorganization of the Indian
subcontinent, it created a number of ecological issues between the two post-colonial states.
Foremost of these issues was the question of uses of water of the Ganges River. Soon after the
partition, India took initiative to construct a barrage on its side of the Ganges and commissioned
it in 1975. In the past few decades, many of the 58 Bangladesh Rivers that originate in India have
either been diverted or dammed upstream, inside India. All of these hydro-developmental
initiatives have left a profound impact on Bangladesh as it is at the receiving end of the
Himalayan fluvial regime. In particular, Bangladeshs agriculture, fisheries, and human health
and wellbeing are reported to have been significantly affected by the disruption of natural water
flow in its rivers.1
There is a large literature on the water-sharing protocols and the impact of Indian hydro-electric
development on Bangladesh. However, there have been no substantial studies of the nationalist
responses within Bangladesh to such developments. One response has been to argue that because
India is such a powerful country, Bangladesh must seek to solve controversies with India with
cautious bilateral diplomacy. Another has been to argue that Bangladesh should turn to
international law and regulations and appeal to international institutions including the United
Nations to settle water disputes with India. Yet another response has been to argue that
Bangladesh should use popular resistance and alliances with activists and organizations both
inside Bangladesh and India.
My research will examine these various forms of environmental politics and nationalist
expressions of them. In doing so, my tentative research question would be: How did
environmental controversies shape the development of nationalism in Bangladesh in the years
immediately following the independence of Bangladesh. The year 1975 as a terminal date of my
research is significant because in this year the Farakka Barrage was officially opened and when a
bloody coup overthrew the then government of Bangladesh, which returned to power only two
decades later.

M. Monirul Qader Mirza (ed), The Ganges Water Diversion: Environmental Effects and
Implications, Kluwer Academic Publishers (Dordrecht/Boston/London, 2010), Bm Abbas (Bi.
Ema Abbasa), The Ganges waters dispute, (Vikas, 1982), Khurshida Begum, Tension over the
Farakka Barrage: a techno-political tangle in South Asia, University Press (Dhaka, 1988), M
Anowar Hossain, Controversial Tipaimukh Dam: Overall Overview, The Angikar Bangladesh
Foundation (Dhaka, 2007)

Bangladesh offers stimulating scope for environmental history. Within its small territorial
breadth, it accommodates the largest delta, major parts of the largest mangrove forest, the longest
unbroken sea beach and two of the major rivers of Asia. Despite being a centre point
environmental dynamics, Bangladesh has not attracted the attention of environmental historians
in any remarkable way. One recent work 2 focuses on relationships between ecology and social
and economic changes in the colonial period, but the postcolonial environmental history remains
unexplored. My research will seek to contribute to this area of the history of Bangladesh.
I would like to use multiple sources for the research, combining primary and closely related
secondary materials, including archival materials, newspapers, policy reports and pamphlets and
leaflets published by political groups and civil societies. I have just started exploring resources
at the National Archives of Bangladesh and am finding exciting materials. Building on these, at
the JNU/ JMI/DU I would use explore secondary materials, both theoretical and empirical.
The JNU/JMI/DU would be an ideal place for me to complete this study. These Universities have
keen interest in the research focusing on South Asia. I wish to carry it out.
I have thought about the modern history of Bengal for about nine years, and I am ready to
embark upon original research on the proposed subject. The field of environmental history is not
yet well developed in universities in Bangladesh, so I feel that a substantial training in the field at
the JNU/JMI/DU is necessary for me to contribute to the field. I was born and grown up in the
riverine environment of Bangladesh, and since my childhood I have closely observed the
intimate relations of the people with that environment. My passion for nature and to the historical
research makes me an excellent candidate for PhD study in environmental history at
JNU/JMI/DU.

Iftekhar Iqbal, The Bengal Delta. Ecology, State and Social Change 1840-1940 (Basingstoke and New York, 2010)