“We Hill Bengalis are deprived”:

Identity innovation in an Asian Highland borderland

Abstract

In the contemporary world, the significance of identity politics is increasingly prominent, particularly in the realm of governance and the assertion of rights and entitlements from the state. This research paper focuses on the South-eastern borderland of Bangladesh, where individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds have been involved in processes of inclusion and exclusion to assert their rights and entitlements. Historically, this borderland served as the ancestral home of twelve distinct 'tribal' or hill communities. However, as a result of statebuilding efforts, these communities gradually became politically marginalised and outnumbered by the national majority community, the Bengali Muslims. This paper specifically focuses on the shifting attitude of the state, which has recently transitioned from a straightforward pro-Bengali attitude to a policy that officially sanctions the local tribal or hill people's demands for a certain degree of self-autonomy. This change has led to the emergence of numerous organisations representing Bengali newcomers, who seek attention for their concerns regarding security and a sense of belonging in the region. Drawing on one year of ethnographic research, this paper explores the origins of these organisations and the motivations that drive their members to join. We argue that the interplay between the state presence and interventions in the region and the day-to-day interactions between the local hill communities and Bengali immigrants give rise to a wide range of innovative strategies, some of which aim to appease while others facilitate conflict. The Bengali strategies and particularly the invention of a Hill Bengali identity reflect the feelings of insecurity and exclusion experienced by the migrant-majorities in the region.