Riverbank Erosion as Slow Violence
The Sensorial Displacement of Climate Migrants
Abstract
This study explores the riverbank erosion in Bhola, Bangladesh, displacing the household into the Korail slum of the Dhaka city, and presents this displacement as the case of embodied slow violence by studying senses and emotions among the displaced migrants. Sensory ethnography was used in conducting 23 semi-structured interviews and three weeks participant observation; the result was the collection of multisensory fieldnotes of smells, sounds, textures, air quality, and bodily reactions in Korail whether compared to the memories of Bhola riverine environment. The results show a twofold sensory disjuncture: the rupture of a rich and polyphonic sensory environment migrants encounter in Bhola and face the severe sensorial regime of Korail (contaminated air, stinking smell, noise, and harsh surfaces) and develop respiratory distresses, emotional disturbances, and precarious embodiment. Digital soundscapes, rituals, and communal practices are part of the adaptive strategies; however, they provide partial relief. The existential displacement of the sensors abuses the impact of climate migration more by engraving slow violence on the sensory levels and feelings. The emotional and the bodily aspects of displacement demand the incorporation of Sensory Impact Assessments and sensory-wise designs in policy responses.
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