Abstract

Among Bangladesh's forty-five distinct minority groups, Santal is one of the oldest indigenous people in South Asia with a rich cultural identity, and a distinct language. This study examines socio-economic conditions, and explores use and accessibility of mass media and ICT among Santal population in Rangpur, a northern district of the country. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been followed for data gathering using Survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informants Interview (KII) methods. Five villages under two upazilas of the district have been selected following purposive and snowball sampling method with tatal of 200 respondents. The findings reveal that the socio-economic status of the Santal people is comparatively poor in almost all aspects of life. Most of the respondents belong to a low economic level; nearly half are illiterate, while only a small proportion have completed primary or secondary education. More than half of the respondents have no access to media and information and communication technologies (ICTs). Those who do have access primarily use television and mobile phones for entertainment and personal communication.