Indigenous languages face significant cultural oppression from official state languages, particularly in the Global South. We investigate the Bangladeshi Chakma language revitalization movement, a community grappling with language liquidity and amalgamation into the dominant Bengali language. Our six-month-long qualitative study involving interviews and focus group discussions with Chakma language learning stakeholders uncovered existing community socio-economic challenges and resilience strategies. We noted the need for culturally grounded digital tools and resources. We propose an ICT-mediated community-centric framework for Indigenous language revitalization in the Global South, emphasizing the integration of historical identity elements, stakeholder-defined requirements, and effective digital engagement strategies to empower communities in preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage.
@article{arxiv.2601.12290,
title = {Re-educating Educated Ones: A Case Study on Chakma Language Revitalization in Chittagong Hill Tracts},
author = {Avijoy Chakma and Adity Khisa and Soham Khisa and Jannatun Noor and Sharifa Sultana},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.12290},
year = {2026}
}