A study on the identity formation of tea garden workers: stories curtained in the narrative of development

Abstract

Shreemangal is one of themost popular tourist spots in Bangladesh. Shreemangal is known as the land of tea. At the entrance, there is a statue of a woman plucking tea leaves in a basket which is tied to her head. This same type of image we can see in most of the tea packages. In the beauty of the green hills and fresh tea leaves, we rarely ever think about the people who are spending their whole life in the tea estate. In my thesis I tried to see how the identity of these tea workers is forming and how they are being marginalized. In order to find these answers, I conducted an ethnography in a tea estate in Hobiganj. My findings showed me many aspects of tea workers life which helped me to realize how the identity construction and being marginalized is entwined with each other. It showed me a system within an institution which I never expected before.