Social-Ecological Traps in Cross-Border Regions: Insights from the India-Bangladesh Borderlands

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 4: Marxist Sociology and Critical Political Economy

Abstract

Social and ecological stresses and political tensions are increasingly common in the border regions, particularly in the Global South. Many of these borders are also on the frontlines of global environmental change, where communities face significant climate and weather anomalies, as well as extreme natural hazards, while possessing limited economic potential. As a result, social–ecological traps are increasingly prevalent in these areas. Drawing on empirical data and secondary sources, this study investigates these dynamic social and ecological challenges and illustrates the processes through which social–ecological (SE) traps are formed in the Bangladesh–India border region. Social–ecological traps refer to self-reinforcing feedback loops between social and ecological systems that can lock communities into persistent conditions of poverty, environmental degradation, and limited development opportunities. The findings highlight multiple interacting factors that contribute to the creation of such traps in this region. Environmental stressors, economic pressures (e.g., poverty), and political factors (e.g., border tensions) together create reinforcing conditions that intensify SE traps. By examining the intersection of climate stress and the socio-economic and ecological dynamics of border regions, this study contributes to sociological understandings of how climate anomalies reshape social, ecological, and political relations in the sensitive Bangladesh–India border area. Although the geographical focus of this study is the Bangladesh–India border, its insights are relevant to other border regions facing similar social, economic, political, and environmental challenges.

Authors

• Saadmaan Jubayer Khan, Michigan State University

• Saleh Ahmed, Michigan State University