Presentation short abstract

This paper highlights how management of two sluice gates shapes the wider economy of the village, in turn shaping the need to go outside for work. Exploring how moments of uncertainty in these practises of managing saline water can open new imaginaries for both agriculture and labour migration.

Presentation long abstract

Building on recent political ecologies of coastal Bangladesh this paper highlights the connection between out migration and shrimp aquaculture through the stories of two sluice gates in neighbouring villages. One sluice gate was shut by a powerful local police officer, stopping the flow of salt water and stopping the cultivation of shrimp, while the other remains open and managed through a lease system. These sluice gates shape the economy of the two villages, and in turn whether people need to leave the village in search of work. Changes in the viability, legality, and management of the sluice gate in turn open new possibilities for the communities living around them, including whether there will be jobs available in the local area or if they will need to travel ‘outside’ for work. By drawing attention to the relationship between the sluice gate, economic relations of the village and labour this paper applies political ecological approaches to understanding why a culture of ‘outside work’ (Baire Kaj) has emerged in these villages, and how people imagine outside work changing in the future. This paper is based on 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork in coastal Bangladesh and is part of a broader project exploring how ‘outside work’ in Bangladesh is situated within the political economy of the agrarian and urban.