A Study on Fraternal Relative Deprivation as Related to Social Identity Patterns of Tribal Students in Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was conducted on fraternal relative deprivation and social identity patterns of tribal Chakma students in the socio-economic and political context of Bangladesh. Several theoretical approaches such as Social Identity, Fraternal Relative Deprivation, and Five-Stage Model of Intergroup Relations, Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory, Belief Congruence Theory, Contact Hypothesis and Social Impact Model were utilized as the frame work of the study. Related empirical research findings were reviewed. Rationale, objective and hypothesis were worked-out in the perspective of the review of literature. The study used four measures for data collection. These were ( 1) Fraternal Relative Deprivation Scale, (2) Measure of Adjective Check List, (3) Measure of Socio-Cultural Practices, ( 4) Bengali Adaptation of Rotter's internal-External Control Scale. These four measures were administered on a sample consisting of 240 respondents. A 2x2x2 factorial design consisting of two levels of sex (Male/Female), two levels of residents (Urban/Rural) and two levels of education (Graduate/Undergraduate) were utilized. The findings of this study strongly supported the hypotheses. It was found that Graduate and Undergraduate male Chakma Ss expressed highest felt relative deprivation followed by undergraduate female and least by graduate female Ss. In case of social identity, the female graduate Chakma Ss evaluated self more positively followed by male graduate, female undergraduate and least by male undergraduate Ss. Similarly, graduate Chakma Ss with urban and rural residential background expressed significantly more preference for own group followed by undergraduate rural Ss and least by undergraduate urban Ss. However, both male and female with urban background evaluated the out-group less positively as compared to male and female Ss with rural background. In case of socio­cultural practices, results showed that urban graduate and undergraduate as well as rural undergraduate Ss expressed higher preference for their cultural practices as compared to rural undergraduate Ss for self-evaluation. For own group evaluation, it was found that regardless of residence and sex, undergraduate Chakma Ss expressed higher preference for their cultural practices than their graduate counterparts. Again, regardless of education and sex, Chakma Ss of rural origin expressed higher preference for their socio-cultural practices than the Chakma Ss of urban origin. Similarly, regardless of education and residence, Chakma male Ss showed higher preference for their socio-cultural practices than their female counterparts. For out-group evaluation, all the comparison groups expressed significantly higher preference for their own cultural practices in comparison to the cultures of out-group. Lastly, undergraduate urban and male Chakma Ss were found more internally controlled in comparison to the counterparts. In conclusion, the findings of the present study, explained with considerable clarity that the tribal issue in Bangladesh as a social psychological phenomenon is intimately embedded in the matrix of socio­cultural factors and shifting in status and power of relevant social groups.