A Review of Studies on Village Society and Rural Development in Bangladesh

Th s review examines the meanings and implications of the " village " in Bangladesh in its historical context and in relation to " rural " development First the evolution of the concept of " village " and higher administrative units is traced by reviewing historical documents of British colonial officers various surveys reiated to Permanent Settlement Revenue Surveys Cadastral Surveys and censuses Second some important village studies in the colonial period are reviewed in relation to the concept Qf rurai development The main features of the epoch -making V -AID and Comilla approach to rural development undertaken in the postwar period are summarized then contemporary village and rural development studies are reviewed It is noted that the huge accumulation of village and ruraI development studies conducted in Bengal and Bangladesh still leaves roorn for fresh studies that more clearly address the true meanings and implications of Bangladesh villages beyond the concepts of elusiveness and power structure as described by notions of patronclient the matabbor as a tout waterlordism etc Deeper studies of rural urban interaction and the broader regional networks of vmagers that are commonly seen in Hindu India are lust two examples of the expected area of Bangladesh village studies 1