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This study provides an in depth analysis of the decision-making processes of abandoning mothers and families. The data were collected from a shelter for abandoned women and children located in Dhaka, Bangladesh and reflect the experiences of extremely poor women and children. The abandonment of children is by no means a recent development. The experiences of these women and children demonstrate how individuals become detached from their families and their communities. They reveal the marginal nature of women’s lives, the ways in which mother-child relations are culturally constructed, and the coping strategies adopted by families living in the harsh economic realities of Bangladesh. Out of wedlock pregnancy and the abandonment of women and children are issues deeply embedded in the social fabric of Bangladesh. The potential for change lies in broader social reforms, primarily the elimination of deep-rooted prejudices against women in general and the development of social support systems for abandoned pregnant women in particular

The rise of ethnic struggles in various parts of the world, particularly in the post-colonial period, is an intriguing phenomenon. Having the consciousness of primordial origins, indigenous communities have pursued ethnic mobilizations along different lines in order to achieve the goals of social and economic uplift. This paper focuses on the Rajbanshi, one such community living in northeast India, as they offer an opportunity to study history and ethnic identity formation as the dynamics behind their current situation. From the standpoint of applied anthropology, processes of social change and activism intended to improve the lot of Rajbanshi communities are evaluated. Given their obscure origins, cultural diversity and divided political struggle, the Rajbanshi are far from achieving their goal of pursuing better lives. Strategies of Sanskritization and 'sons-of-the-soil' indigeneity have not reaped the desired results in terms of social and economic development. Furthermore, discourses rooted in immigrant-aboriginal binaries and theoretical dichotomies of primordialism-constructivism fail to make sense of this community's experience and are not helpful in guiding them toward meaningful and fruitful political and social change. ARTICLE HISTORY

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