Reclaiming Indigenous Rights: Decolonial Pathways to Climate Adaptation in Bangladesh

Ranjan Datta is Canada Research Chair in Community Disaster Research at Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada. His community-based research spans Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Canada, Ghana, Bangladesh, and Nepal, focusing on disaster research, resilience, environmental resource management, Indigenous sustainability, and community-led governance. He has received more than thirty-nine grants totaling over $15 million and has published more than eighty peer-reviewed articles and several books. His awards include the 2023 Sustainability Champion Award and the Excellence in Cultural Resource Management Award.

Khokon Suiten Murmu is a Santal Indigenous rights advocate from Bangladesh, a National Committee member of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, and a project coordinator at the Kapaeeng Foundation. His work focuses on Indigenous land rights, environmental justice, community advocacy, Indigenous knowledge systems, environmental governance, and GIS-based mapping. He holds a postgraduate degree in environmental management and sustainability from Flinders University.

Jebunnessa Chapola is a racialized settler scholar whose work is grounded in anti-racist, decolonial, and community-engaged research. Drawing on her experiences as an immigrant and practitioner, she examines how colonialism, patriarchy, and racial inequality shape climate vulnerability, particularly for Indigenous and marginalized women. Her work supports Indigenous sovereignty, women-led movements, and community-led, land-based climate adaptation.