Shora

This book explores gendered perceptions of the Sundarbans Forest in Bangladesh, and the extent to which these perceptions are affected by extreme weather events (specifically, cyclones Aila and Sidr). Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Shora, a rural village in southern Satkhira, Bangladesh, the book explores gendered activities in the forest, especially women’s interaction with the forest resources. The findings present a clear picture of the Shora community’s local knowledge about the Sundarbans Forest, as well as the ecological and economic contributions for the forest people. The book makes a timely contribution to the wider study of gender, post-cyclone recovery, ecology and resilience.

Sajal Roy is a Lecturer in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at the Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh. Sajal is completing his doctoral studies at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. He has also worked in South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia. While in South Sudan, he contributed to lead a study entitled Adolescent Girls Initiative for the BRAC (the largest development NGO) and World Bank . In addition, he served as a consultant at the United Nations World Food Programme and WorldFish in Bangladesh.