Hazardous Sanitation Labour: Connecting the Past, Present and Future of Manual Scavenging in Bangladesh
Lead Research Organisation:
LANCASTER UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Lancaster Environment Centre
Abstract
Though declared illegal, manual scavenging persists in Bangladesh and across South Asia as a form of 'caste-based slavery' (IDSN 2014) that has simply 'adapted with modernisation' (Centre for Equity Studies 2019). In addition to low, irregular pay and little to no social protection, the men, women and children involved in this work risk frequent injury (gashes/cuts, breakages, back and neck problems), illness (vision and hearing impairments, skin, respiratory, parasitic and vector-borne diseases) and death (World Bank 2019). Since 2014, an estimated 156 people have died in septic tanks in Bangladesh (BILs 2019), while in India one person dies every five days emptying septic tanks and sewers (Government of India 2020). Whilst the Sustainable Development Goals call for decent work and the protection of public and environmental health for all, manual scavengers (whose global numbers are unknown) remain a vital, overlooked workforce in urban systems. Stigma and discrimination means that they remain largely unseen and unheard by planners, politicians and wider society (Singh 2014; Prasad and Ray 2019). In Bangladesh, a country where 'dirty work' (nongra kaj in Bengali) persists yet is poorly understood, manual scavenging is undertaken predominantly by self-defined Harijans ('children of God'), low-caste, religious and ethnic minorities living in dense segregated colonies, a legacy of British colonial rule (1858-1947), labour migration and subjugation (Sultana and Subedi 2016). Whilst mechanisation of the sanitation sector in Bangladesh seeks to eliminate manual scavenging, in reality, those involved in 'dirty work' are often unable to benefit from shifting employment arrangements (Zaqout et al 2020; Cawood et al 2021).
This project, the first of its kind, places the spotlight firmly onto this neglected urban workforce, to highlight potential pathways to improved or alternative work. In doing so, the project makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge, building conceptual, methodological, empirical and impact-related innovation into its very design. Conceptually, the project draws together disparate literature and expertise from urban studies, development, geography, history and public health engineering, to connect the past, present and future of manual scavenging in Bangladesh by examining five key, understudied themes - identity (age, gender, caste, ethnicity and religion), migration, place of residence, techno-legal change and socio-economic mobility - situated within broader understandings of colonialism and the reproduction of caste. Methodologically, the project utilises a case study approach with a mixed qualitative toolkit, including secondary, archival research and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) across Bangladesh, India and Pakistan - countries where manual scavenging remains a caste-based occupation, and where British colonial rule (1858-1947) had potentially significant implications for the administration and legacy of 'dirty work'. Bangladesh is used as an 'illustrative case' (Flyvbjerg 2006) for Participatory Action Research (PAR) involving oral life histories with portraits, focus groups and impact activities with Harijan youth and community leaders to address a dearth of empirical knowledge on this topic. In deploying these methods, the project also advances tools and techniques on working with rather than on marginalised groups in urban systems. Innovations in conceptual framing, methods (combining archival research with PAR) and impact, including the establishment of internal and external 'learning and sharing' advisory groups, emerge from my unique position and positionality as a social scientist who has worked with and within interdisciplinary teams, and strong, established networks with policy advocates, activists and practitioners. These configurations place me in an excellent position to coordinate world-leading academic research with a direct line to policy and practice.
This project, the first of its kind, places the spotlight firmly onto this neglected urban workforce, to highlight potential pathways to improved or alternative work. In doing so, the project makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge, building conceptual, methodological, empirical and impact-related innovation into its very design. Conceptually, the project draws together disparate literature and expertise from urban studies, development, geography, history and public health engineering, to connect the past, present and future of manual scavenging in Bangladesh by examining five key, understudied themes - identity (age, gender, caste, ethnicity and religion), migration, place of residence, techno-legal change and socio-economic mobility - situated within broader understandings of colonialism and the reproduction of caste. Methodologically, the project utilises a case study approach with a mixed qualitative toolkit, including secondary, archival research and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) across Bangladesh, India and Pakistan - countries where manual scavenging remains a caste-based occupation, and where British colonial rule (1858-1947) had potentially significant implications for the administration and legacy of 'dirty work'. Bangladesh is used as an 'illustrative case' (Flyvbjerg 2006) for Participatory Action Research (PAR) involving oral life histories with portraits, focus groups and impact activities with Harijan youth and community leaders to address a dearth of empirical knowledge on this topic. In deploying these methods, the project also advances tools and techniques on working with rather than on marginalised groups in urban systems. Innovations in conceptual framing, methods (combining archival research with PAR) and impact, including the establishment of internal and external 'learning and sharing' advisory groups, emerge from my unique position and positionality as a social scientist who has worked with and within interdisciplinary teams, and strong, established networks with policy advocates, activists and practitioners. These configurations place me in an excellent position to coordinate world-leading academic research with a direct line to policy and practice.
Publications
Cawood S
(2025)
Historicising sanitation work: Value, infrastructural labour and representation in colonial Bengal
in Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space
| Description | A number of significant findings have emerged from the project since its inception in December 2022. I summarise these below in three phases. Phase 1 (December 2022 to May 2024) - Archival Research During this initial project phase I (the PI) and post-doctoral researcher Dr Pratik Mishra (hired for 12 months), conducted extensive archival research in the UK, India and Bangladesh to better understand the extent to which those engaged in handling and managing 'filth' or 'night soil' (human waste) appear, if at all, in the colonial archive. This research was important, and novel, as oral histories conducted with sanitary workers in Bangladesh in my previous research, indicated that British colonisers played a key role in the recruitment of Dalit sanitary workers to East Bengal, now Bangladesh. Yet, little is known about how, and why, such recruitment took place, and the impact on those being recruited. Our archival research made some significant observations. We found that British colonisers, exploiting and using caste and worker precarity, and responding to apparent labour shortages in East Bengal, 'imported' workers from across India to East Bengal (now Bangladesh) for 'dirty work' including collecting refuse, cleaning streets, railways and municipal buildings, but also for the handling, moving and removal of excreta. Housing and alcohol were provided as incentives to 'trap' workers into this occupation - housing that some communities still live in today. The archival research found that, the reliance on manual labour of Dalits persisted, and even worsened, in spite of a range of sanitary 'solutions' introduced to manage unruly filth, such as depots, conservancy tramways and sewers. We show, comprehensively, how caste and coloniality intersected to render Dalits unseen and exploited, yet essential to the making and maintenance of 'sanitary' towns and cities. Findings from our archival research can be found in our 2025 article, published in Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, available open access here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/25148486251400183 We also list some of the sources used in our archival searches on our project website, open to all here: https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/archival-resources/. We will continue to update these resources, so that future researchers and activists, can build on our learnings. In this initial phase, we also established a wider research network and agenda, to focus on precarious labour in different sectors and geographies, from a critical historical perspective. The 'Hazardous Labour Geographies Network' currently has 31 members, and welcomes anyone with an interest in these topic areas: https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/network/ This first phase of the project addressed three of the four 'academic' objectives set in the project, namely: I) to situate manual scavenging in Bangladesh in a broader historical, regional and global context, II) to examine how evolving urban sanitation systems impact the lives and livelihoods of those engaged in handling human waste, and III) to develop and advance theorisations of hazardous labour in evolving urban systems. This phase also addressed one 'impact' objective, to bring together students, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), research and teaching staff in a global academic network on hazardous labour in urban systems, and two 'skill development' objectives for the PI to: I) develop theoretical and applied skills in leadership and project management, and II) re-skill in archival methods. Further project objectives have been addressed in phase 2, outlined below. Phase 2 (June 2025 to June 2026) - Participatory Action Research (PAR) Following a pause in the project (due to parental leave), this phase, starting in earnest in June 2025, involved establishing a collaboration with Research Initiatives Bangladesh, to facilitate PAR with communities historically, and currently involved in sanitary work in Bangladesh. One further key finding from phase 1, and my previous research, was that the personhood of workers - their identities, aspirations, lived experiences - is largely absent in the colonial record. These records seldom mention such detail and can - as we reflect in our 2025 article - reinforce harm and problematic categorisations. Being mindful of this, of my own positionality, and of the legacies from the pre-colonial and colonial period that continue to impact the lives of those engaged in sanitary work, including dangerous manual scavenging, this phase sought to 'speak back' to the archive, and better understand the contemporary challenges facing communities involved in cleaning occupations in Bangladesh today. Since June, I have been working alongside colleagues at RIB - a research organisation specialising in PAR or 'gonogobeshona' (people's research) in Bangla - to co-design and deliver a comprehensive PAR programme (detailed further in 'Collaborations and Partnerships') alongside members of communities engaged, still today, in sanitary work, including manual scavenging. Recognising that members of these communities are best placed to tell their stories, trace their histories, analyse their current realities and future aspirations, PAR involved the recruitment, training and mentorship of seven Community Research Assistants (CRAs). These community researchers, coming from self-defined Harijan and Dalit backgrounds, have been working over the past six months in the Northwest and Southwest of Bangladesh, to better understand the challenges facing their communities, and other communities engaged in this work, and identify priority areas for action and advocacy. CRAs, with support from RIB field coordinators, have conducted an impressive range of focus group discussions, oral histories, key informant interviews and participatory workshops, to build a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing men, women and young people from these communities, and collectively identify solutions. Following a brief pause in field activities due to the elections in Bangladesh (February 2026), the CRAs are soon to complete data collection, moving next to data analysis, with all CRAs convening in the coming months in a residential workshop, to discuss observations, key findings and plan 'actions' (detailed further in Phase 3, and 'Narrative Impact'). Whilst data collection and analysis is ongoing, a number of significant findings are emerging from PAR - findings that complement, and nuance, our earlier archival research. This includes, for example, lack of alternative job opportunities outside cleaning (including solid waste management, street sweeping and pit emptying), but a desire and interest among youth, especially, to take up alternative livelihoods, and a recognition that, while manual pit and tank emptying is on the decline due to technological change and sanitary interventions, and many do not wish to remain in this occupation, manual scavenging persists, with evidence it has shifted to other areas, or occurs under the radar. We also found that many community members feel the only option to escape stigma due to identity, occupation and place of living is to 'conceal' ones name, identity and move to the city. However, role models who have exited hazardous sanitary work (via education or alternative employment) who remain within or connected to the community, play an important role in motivating and supporting young people. The CRAs and wider research team also highlighted particular challenges that women and girls face, especially in relation to domestic violence. The team also reflected on the importance of developing friendships and support networks within and outside the community, across religious, caste and class divides. We will share more findings as the project progresses, and as CRAs begin to analyze the extensive and detailed data collected. This phase of the project addressed the remaining 'academic' objective, to develop methodological tools on working 'with' rather than 'on' marginalised groups in urban systems via PAR. It also addressed the second 'impact' objective, to hire and train CRAs, including youth and leaders from communities associated with manual scavenging in Bangladesh, to challenge extractive research processes and discrimination, build confidence, develop skills and identify 'actions' to take forward from the research. With the close working relationship with RIB and the CRAs, phase 2 also addressed the final 'skill development' objective, to identify, develop and nurture skills among the research team to enhance capacity and employability, and foster future collaboration. Phase 3 (March 2026 to December 2026) - Actions, Dissemination and Uptake This final phase of the project involves CRA 'actions', dissemination and uptake of key findings within Bangladesh, regionally, and globally, via the wider advisory network. As part of PAR, RIB have been supporting the CRAs in the design and delivery of key 'actions', based on emergent findings, to make concrete steps towards addressing some of the pressing challenges highlighted in fieldwork. These actions, some of which have already started, range from hosting sporting events to encourage cohesion across religious, class and caste lines, to running workshops for women and girls on legal advocacy and human rights, and with youth on livelihoods and employability. Building on emergent findings, CRAs are seeking ways to enhance linkage between communities, local government, and NGOs, to address some of the challenges identified in PAR. In addition to this, RIB is supporting CRAs to run storytelling workshops, bringing community members together to share their histories and priorities, as well as a mobile photo exhibition (that will 'tour' the research areas) and key stakeholder workshop in Dhaka. Furthermore, we are collectively collaborating with PositiveNegatives to create a storyboard, based on some of the findings of the fieldwork (detailed further in 'Collaborations and Partnerships'). This final phase of the project, will also involve dissemination of key findings via an online workshop with members of a project advisory group, consisting of influential advocates on labour, Dalit rights and sanitary work from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the UK, Switzerland and Denmark. I will also use my position as a member of the global 'Initiative for Sanitation Workers' advisory group, to share key findings and seek further collaboration for meaningful research. These activities will address the final 'impact' objective of the project, to feed learnings directly into policy and practice via influential 'catalysts' in the advisory group, to shape future efforts in reducing hazardous sanitation labour. Further information on these activities, and project impact to date, can be found in 'Narrative Impact'. |
| Exploitation Route | The project outcomes can, we believe, be taken forward by academic and non-academic audiences, in the following ways. The archival repository and research outputs (already published and upcoming) provide helpful resources for further research on this topic, while the research network and extensive conference engagement (detailed in 'Engagement Activities' ), brings academics, activists and students together, to foster new research collaborations, based on key findings. The Community Research Assistant (CRA) involvement in PAR, and subsequent actions, storytelling workshops, photo exhibition, summary workshops and storyboard (to be released in Bangla and English), will reach non-academic audiences, and - we hope - foster new collaborations and actions, based on key findings. Drawing on the PI's, RIB's and CRA's extensive networks, these outputs and events will reach a range of stakeholders from the wider public and communities themselves, to local government officials, NGO representatives, and global policy advocates. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/ |
| Description | The project set out with three key impact objectives, namely, to: 1. Bring together students, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), research and teaching staff in a global academic network on hazardous labour in urban systems, to share key outputs, nurture and lead a new generation of critical scholars. 2. Hire and train Community Research Assistants (CRAs), including youth and leaders from communities associated with manual scavenging in Bangladesh, to challenge extractive research processes and discrimination, build confidence, develop skills and identify 'actions' to take forward from the research. 3. Feed learnings directly into policy and practice via influential 'catalysts' in the advisory group, to shape future efforts in reducing hazardous sanitation labour. As noted in 'Key Findings', the project is well on the way to addressing all three objectives, and to reaching academic and non-academic audiences, via three pathways to impact built into project design and delivery, namely, the: (1) global academic network on hazardous labour in urban systems; (2) meaningful engagement of participants and local stakeholders in Participatory Action Research (PAR), and (3) global advisory network, consisting of advocates on labour, Dalit rights and sanitary work. Each is detailed briefly below. First, the global academic and activist 'Hazardous Labour Geographies Network' (created in Phase 1 following a workshop - detailed in 'Engagement Activities'), has created a platform for the sharing of key outputs, and for future interdisciplinary collaborations. One concrete outcome of this network, for example, was a collaboration between the PI (myself), and two workshop attendees to propose a panel at the 2026 Royal Geographical Society conference on 'Historicising Urban Labour Regimes'. This network is set to make a significant contribution to the emergent fields of labour geographies and critical caste studies, and to research that provides a historical lens to better understand contemporary realities for those engaged in precarious labour, such as sanitary work. Second, meaningful engagement of participants via PAR, has built individual and collective confidence and skills among CRAs, and cohesion and solidarity between community members, and between these communities and wider society (across religious, caste and class lines). It has also raised awareness of the challenges facing those engaged in sanitary work at the local and national level. The CRAs 'actions', taking place in March 2026, are set to have significant local, regional and national impact, by offering vital training and skill development within communities, and enhancing linkage to local government officials, NGOs, legal and policy advocates, as well as the wider public. For example, on 10th March 2026, one CRA ran an event on access to legal justice for women and girls. The event was attended by over 50 community members and government officers, lawyers and civil society members, and was documented in local newspapers. One wider positive impact reported by CRAs and field coordinators, is how community members have started to proactively identify and resolve problems themselves, something that the PAR process helped to facilitate. The impact of these events and planned engagement activities in Phase 3 - including the residential workshop for CRAs, storytelling workshops, roaming photo exhibition, summary workshops and bi-lingual storyboard, will be shared, as the project progresses. Third, set to take place in earnest in Phase 3, emergent findings from PAR and the project overall will be fed into policy and practice at a local, regional and global scale, via local contacts, targeted engagement events and key catalysts in the advisory group, with whom the PI has a long working relationship. One concrete outcome of the ongoing research, is that the PI has been invited to be part of a global advisory group on sanitation workers, alongside prominent global institutions, NGOs and policy advocates, including the International Labour Organisation, WaterAid and World Health Organisation. The PI will use this platform to disseminate key findings, enhance uptake among key global institutions, and seek further collaborative research and funding opportunities with clear pathways to impact. The culmination of these pathways is greater knowledge and awareness of the connections between the historical origins and contemporary realities of manual scavenging in Bangladesh to break new conceptual, methodological and empirical ground on the persistence of hazardous labour in urban systems, and identify pathways to improved or alternative work for and with workers themselves. Whilst some of these impacts are only now just emerging, or will only emerge in the medium to longer-term, we also regard impact as a process that began at project inception, and as something that results in changes among the project team, including the PI and collaborators (for example, enhanced skill development, knowledge, awareness, reflexivity and contacts). This narrative summary will therefore be updated as the project progresses, as we reflect on changes that have occurred, and how findings have reached non-academic and academic audiences, leading to change, at a range of scales. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Advisory Board Member of Initiative for Sanitation Workers |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.susana.org/en/knowledge-hub/projects/database/details/676 |
| Description | Gendered Pathways to Prosperity: Breaking the Boundaries to Further Education and Employment Among Dalit Minorities in Punjab, Pakistan (Gender Equality Partnerships) |
| Amount | £24,871 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | GEP22-22 |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 06/2024 |
| Title | Archival Resources on Sanitation Labour |
| Description | As part of the ESRC project, Dr Mishra (project PDRA) and I (as PI) have undertaken extensive archival research, reviewing over 200 archival documents across a range of repositories at the British Library, Bangladesh National Archives, West Bengal State Archives and National Archives of India, as well as online. To enhance impact and uptake, we have compiled a list of useful resources and search terms on our project website, to assist other scholars, activists and practitioners interested in examining archival resources on the topic. This resource list is publicly available (on the world wide web). As the project progresses, we will add to the list, and include a more detailed excel file of sources and repositories, to further boost knowledge and research capacity (for students, activists, scholars, general public, policy advocates and practitioners) visiting the site. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We hope that these archival resources will enhance research capacity in this field, especially among early-career scholars based in South Asia, including Bangladesh (a DAC-listed least developed country) and India (a lower middle-income country). |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/archival-resources/ |
| Description | Storyboard Collaboration with PositiveNegatives |
| Organisation | Positives Negatives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | PositiveNegatives brings research to life via compelling animations, comics and podcasts. The PI (Dr Cawood) - who has worked successfully with PositiveNegatives previously (see here: https://positivenegatives.org/story/a-story-of-prosperity/) - approached the organisation in January 2026, to collaborate on a storyboard based on emergent findings from the ESRC project. A formal collaboration agreement between Lancaster University and PositiveNegatives was established in February 2026. Since then, Dr Cawood, Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB) and the Community Research Assistants (CRAs) have been working with PositiveNegatives to co-design a comic strip, to reflect key findings from the fieldwork (detailed further below). |
| Collaborator Contribution | PositiveNegatives is working alongside the PI (Dr Cawood), Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB) and Community Research Assistants (CRAs) in Bangladesh, to co-design and deliver an (approximately) 10-page comic strip. The final comic, to be released in English and Bangla, will be based on real-world case studies/stories from the field, but - due to the sensitive nature of some content - will have a fictional protagonist. Collaborating with PositiveNegatives, will allow the research team to reach new audiences (including the communities under study), and capture pressing issues emerging from the field in a sensitive, ethical, and participatory manner. |
| Impact | Storyboard will be added to outputs, once released. |
| Start Year | 2026 |
| Description | Conference Panel on the Reproduction of Sanitation Work in South Asia: Past and Present (BASAS), Lancaster University, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Panel on sanitation work organised by PI (with four speakers) at annual British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) conference, held at Lancaster University in September 2025. PI also played a key role in organising this conference at the university, which included 37 panel sessions and over 150 attendees from the UK, USA, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/basas2025/conferenceprogramme/ |
| Description | Conference Presentation at 'Opening the Bin', Lancaster University, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk Title: Unvalued and Unseen: Highlighting Forgotten Histories and Contemporary Realities of Night Soil Workers Venue: Lancaster Management School, Lancaster University, UK Date: 16th June 2023 I delivered a conference presentation for the 3rd International 'Opening the Bin' conference which took place at Lancaster University in June 2023. The conference involved over 200 international delegates (including academics, students, policy advocates, practitioners and activists) working on waste. In my session, around 30 delegates were present for a lively discussion on labour rights within waste. I received positive feedback on the talk (which covered initial literature and archival findings), and made numerous fruitful connections with other delegates, including postgraduate research students working on/interested in the topic. This led to follow-up communication and information sharing, and opens potential future avenues for collaboration. This activity addresses Academic objectives 1 and 4 of the project on situating manual scavenging in Bangladesh in a broader historical, regional and global context (1), and on developing and advancing theorisations of hazardous labour in evolving urban systems (4). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ |
| Description | Conference Presentation at 'Opening the Bin', Le Mans, France |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presented a paper based on project findings titled 'Historicising Sanitation Work: Value, Infrastructural Labour and Representation in South Asia' at the fourth Opening the Bin conference in Le Mans University, France in December 2025. I was also a panel member for a special session titled 'Gendering Waste'. The conference attracted over 100 waste scholars. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://otb4.sciencesconf.org/ |
| Description | Conference Presentation at European Conference for South Asian Studies (ECSAS), Turin, Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk Title: Historicizing Occupational Mobility of Sanitation Work in Bangladesh: Complexities of Self-Representation and Technology Venue: University of Turin, Italy Date: 27th July 2023 Dr Mishra (project PDRA) and I (as PI) presented at the 27th European Conference for South Asian Studies (ECSAS). The conference brought together around 300 delegates from across Europe and South Asia. We presented on our preliminary archival findings and scoping visits in Bangladesh and India to around 20 participants in the panel titled 'Servitude and Mobility in Pre-Colonial and Colonial South Asia'. The panel consisted of a number of Historians, who provided positive feedback on our talk, and helpful suggestions for potential sources or themes to check, to further enhance our archival analysis. Dr Mishra and I met a number of new contacts at the conference, opening up space for future potential collaborations. This activity addresses Academic objectives 1 and 4 of the project on situating manual scavenging in Bangladesh in a broader historical, regional and global context (1), and on developing and advancing theorisations of hazardous labour in evolving urban systems (4). Also, Skill Development objective 2 on enhancing PI skills in archival research and deepening the historical (colonial) understandings of hazardous sanitation labour (given the historical focus of and audience at ECSAS). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ |
| Description | Departmental Seminar at Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk Title: Hidden Histories of Sanitation Labour in South Asia: Notes from the Colonial Archive Venue: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK Date: 17th May 2023 Dr Mishra (project PDRA) and I (as PI) delivered a 50 minute Departmental seminar at the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, in May 2023. The audience consisted of staff across the Department and postgraduate research and taught students. There were around 30 people in attendance. The seminar provided Dr Mishra and I the opportunity to present our project outline and initial archival findings (with archival fieldwork being undertaken at that time). The feedback from audience members was valuable in opening avenues for further exploration, and for consolidating our initial observations. A number of colleagues mentioned how the seminar had enlightened them about an issue they previously knew little about, and reflected on overlaps with their own work (potentially opening up future avenues for collaboration). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ |
| Description | First International Advisory Group Meeting (Online) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The ESRC project involves an international advisory group consisting of 17 activists, policy advocates, academics and practitioners based in the UK, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Geneva and Denmark. The group consists of representatives from influential organisations with global reach working on sanitation labour and human rights, including the International Dalit Solidarity Network, International Labour Organisation, WaterAid and Practical Action. My two project mentors Prof Frances Cleaver and Dr Manoj Roy (Lancaster University, UK), are also involved in this group, as well as prolific scholar of urban sanitation, Prof Colin McFarlane (Durham University, UK). On 7th March 2023, Dr Mishra (project PDRA) and I ran the first online meeting with 11 members of this group, to introduce the project and solicit feedback on our project plan, methodology and impact activities. The discussion, lasting for around 1.5 hours, was highly insightful, providing numerous avenues for further progression of the project (for example, potential partners and cases, outputs as well as ethical considerations), with positive feedback and enthusiasm for the project from all attendees. In addition to bi-annual email updates of our activities, we endeavour to run these sessions yearly/annually, to ensure advisory members are kept in the loop, can provide vital input and accountability as the project progresses. This group will also be vital for dissemination and uptake of key outputs, as the project progresses into its later stages. This activity addresses Impact objective 3 on feeding learnings directly into policy and practice via influential 'catalysts'. ODA: The advisory group consists of members from three DAC-listed countries, including Bangladesh (x3 members, least-developed country), India (x3 members) and Pakistan (x1 member) (lower middle-income countries). The research findings shared in these meetings, plus discussions, have the potential to influence advocacy, research and practice in these countries, and beyond, via the members. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ |
| Description | Hazardous Labour Geographies Website/Learning Resource |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In February 2024, we launched a project-linked website titled 'Hazardous Labour Geographies'. The website is intended as a space to share key learnings from the ongoing ESRC project, and as a wider knowledge, resource and networking hub for activists, researchers and practitioners working on hazardous labour across sectors and geographies, from manual scavenging and brick kiln labour, to construction, tea gardens and gig economy work. It consists of the following key elements: Project and Outputs: Includes description of the project, team (including positionality) and links to associated outputs. Archival Resources: Provides an overview of our archival approach, and a list of relevant resources for website users to access. In Conversation: A space for members of the hazardous labour network (see below) to share their work, including podcasts, blogs, videos etc. Network: Listing images, affiliations and short biographies of all members of the hazardous labour network. Blog posts: A space for blogs linked to this project, and to wider network members to be displayed (with live links visible on the homepage). All content will be regularly updated by the PI. The website aligns especially to Impact objective 1, on bringing together early-career researchers, research and teaching staff in a global academic network on hazardous labour in urban systems. It will also be a central vehicle through which to disseminate key research outputs and learnings, to foster future research capacity in this area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/ |
| Description | Project Workshop on Hazardous Labour in the Making of the City, Lancaster University, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Workshop Title: Hazardous Labour in the Making of the City Venue: Lancaster University, UK Date: 23rd June 2023 This one-day international workshop, organised and led by the PI and Dr Mishra (PDRA), brought together 30 participants, including 13 speakers joining in-person and online. The hybrid format allowed participants to join from numerous locations from across the UK as well as India and Australia. The event was a great success in bringing together early-career and more established scholars and activists working on hazardous labour across multiple sectors and geographies, for generative discussion. One direct result of the workshop was the formation of a 'Hazardous Labour Network', consisting of 24 scholars and activists across India, Bangladesh, the UK, Australia and Tanzania. This network will act as a hub for future collaboration and related outputs, as well as build capacity of Masters and Postgraduate Research scholars. ODA: The workshop involved around 11 participants based in India, a DAC-listed lower middle-income country. This activity addresses Academic objectives 1 and 4 of the project on situating manual scavenging in Bangladesh in a broader historical, regional and global context (1), and on developing and advancing theorisations of hazardous labour in evolving urban systems (4). Also, Impact objective 1 on bringing together students, ECRs, research and teaching staff in a global academic network on hazardous labour in urban systems. It also enhanced leadership and organisational skills for the PI and PDRA Dr Mishra, linked to Skill Development objective 3. Synthesis notes and details of the Hazardous Labour Network can be found on the project website, as below: Synthesis Notes: https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ Network: https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/network/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://hazardouslabourgeographies.net/project-outputs/ |
| Description | Seminar at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk Title: Sanitation Work: Colonial Histories and Contemporary Realities Venue: Anthropology Department, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh Date: 22nd March 2023 During a three week visit to Bangladesh, I was invited to present to around 30 staff and students at Jahangirnagar University. The seminar provided an opportunity to share preliminary findings from the archival research, and learn from participants, including those with prior experience working on this topic at the institution. The seminar also provided an opportunity to engage with undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University, who were not familiar with the topic and theoretical and methodological approach deployed (supporting development of their own research and analytical skill sets). ODA: This talk took place at the Higher Education setting in Bangladesh, a DAC-listed least developed country. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |