Colonial Legacies and the Politics of Skin Tone: Colourism, Whiteness and Postcolonial Feminist Resistance in Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper examines colourism in Bangladesh as a socially and historically produced form of inequality that is deeply tied to both colonial and gendered systems of power. While hierarchies of skin tone existed in the region prior to European intervention, British colonial rule intensified and reshaped these distinctions by linking lighter skin to whiteness, modernity and social value. In doing so, colourism became more than a cultural preference and evolved into a structural condition that continues to shape how bodies are valued, particularly those of women. Focusing on Bangladesh as a case study, this paper explores how these colonial legacies are reproduced in contemporary society through everyday practices and institutions, including the widespread use of skin-lightening products, discriminatory norms in marriage and employment and the internalization of beauty standards that privilege fairness. These dynamics are examined through a qualitative discourse analysis of academic literature, media and cultural narratives and personal accounts, treating these sources as forms of cultural data. At the same time, the paper engages with postcolonial feminist perspectives to highlight emerging forms of resistance that challenge dominant beauty ideals and create space for alternative representations of brown and dark skin. By situating colourism within broader structures of power, identity and lived experience, this study moves beyond simplified explanations and instead offers a more nuanced and critical understanding of how colonial legacies continue to shape gendered experiences of beauty, value and belonging in contemporary Bangladesh.