Locating the Littoral: Michael N. Pearson in the Study of the Northern Bay of Bengal

Abstract

This article takes up Michael Pearson’s concept of littoral societies and discusses how it provides us with a lens to study a specific estuarine place, a mangrove forest called Sundarbans that is found along the coastlines of India and Bangladesh and opens onto the Bay of Bengal. Inhabitants cope with constant risks and hazards, maintaining distinctive folk traditions practiced by both the region’s Hindus and Muslims. This article discusses the outsider and insider perceptions of this place and its distinctive material culture, which may provide a window for studying other littoral cultures across the Indian Ocean basin.