Sabikun Naher

I am a Bangladeshi Ph.D. student in anthropology at the University of Georgia (UGA). My work focuses on the intersection of postcolonial studies, gender, and political ecology, with a focus on South Asia and comparative global contexts. I hold an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, Massachusetts, USA and MSS and BSS degrees in International Relations from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. My master’s thesis at Brandeis University explored women’s empowerment in Bangladesh through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals. Through research and presentations, I have also examined critical intersections, such as the interface between climate change and women’s vulnerability; how intersectional identities (gender, ethnicity and race) shape violence against women; and religion and women’s rights. These endeavors have strengthened my dedication to dismantling patriarchal structures and addressing gender disparities. My dissertation—'The Marginalization of Ethnic Minorities: The Colonial and Post-colonial Making of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh'—uses archival and ethnographic methods to examine how colonial and post-colonial state-building practices have constructed the CHT, and how these constructions shape ethnic marginalization and majority–minority relations over time. The study centers ethnic peoples lived experiences—how people conceptualize, experience, navigate, and resist socio-political and economic marginalization across regimes.

Professionally, I have nearly eight years of research and program experience with the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL), the Center for Mass Education in Science (CMES), the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC)–Dhaka, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since Fall 2023, I have served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Georgia (UGA).