Gender, Human-Wildlife Conflict, and Environmental Vulnerability in a Postcolonial National Park: A Feminist Analysis of the Sundarbans Mangroves

This thesis examines gendered human-wildlife conflict through the theoretical frameworks of corporeal vulnerability, bio-power, and eco-feminism. Specifically, it seeks to understand and deconstruct the gendered mourning... [ view full abstract ]

This thesis examines gendered human-wildlife conflict through the theoretical frameworks of corporeal vulnerability, bio-power, and eco-feminism. Specifically, it seeks to understand and deconstruct the gendered mourning practices that have arisen as a result of frequent tiger maulings, crocodile attacks, and other environmental threats in and around Sundarbans National Park.

The Sundarbans region straddles the border of India and Bangladesh. Situated on the Bay of Bengal, it is home to the world’s largest halophytic (saline-compatible) mangrove forest as well as a sizeable Bengal tiger population. It has attracted widespread international attention as a site of great ecological value, and it is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its coastal location. The communities living on the periphery of the Sundarbans are predominantly low-caste and highly marginalized. This study thus explores the economic, political and ecological contexts that have produced an environment in which certain demographics are at risk, highlighting the regional specificities of this case study while simultaneously drawing parallels to similar cases in other postcolonial spaces. Additionally, it explores the ways in which gendered bodies both inform the cultural lexicon surrounding mourning practices and bear the impacts of trauma in different ways.