Md. A Sabur

I am a sociologist and migration and gender researcher passionate about exploring the intricate intersections of migration, gender, class, and religion, particularly in the Global South, focusing on the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. My doctoral dissertation, titled "Migration, Remittances, and Social Change: Class, Gender, and Religion in Rural Bangladesh," immerses itself in the lives of Bangladeshi migrant laborers across a diverse range of settings, such as dormitories, workplaces, shopping malls, airports, and social gatherings. In this extensive study, I uncover three noteworthy shifts in religious, cultural, and gender norms triggered by husbands’ migration: 1) I reveal how women increasingly adopt veiling practices as their family's class status rises, linking social class with religiosity. 2) I investigate how migrant men utilize co-ethnic relational resources to navigate social status by practicing marginal masculinity in the workplace and respectable masculinities in social contexts. 3) I underscore the influence of migration control regimes in host countries on the religiosity of migrant workers, shaping their religious practices.

In my research, I employed ethnographic and in-depth interview methodologies to investigate the experiences of migrant workers in two Wahabi countries, namely Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and two secular countries, Singapore and South Korea. This investigation unfolded in two key phases, resulting in a dataset from 72 migrant couples. Initially, I conducted interviews and observed the daily lives of 72 Bangladeshi migrant husbands across workplaces, dormitories, mosques, and social gatherings within these countries. Upon returning to Bangladesh, my research team and I interviewed the 72 wives who were left behind in rural Bangladesh, utilizing a respondent-driven sampling approach for participant selection. These interviews, lasting approximately 50 minutes each, were facilitated by referrals from Bangladeshi migrant men. In addition to interviews, I enriched the study by conducting ethnographic observations while residing with migrant men in their dormitories, gaining valuable insights into their routines in diverse settings. As a result, my research comprises a combination of ethnographic data and dyad interviews, offering a comprehensive understanding of the lives and dynamics of Bangladeshi migrant workers and their families.

My teaching experience spans three universities in Bangladesh and one in the United States. I have taught various sociology courses, including Introduction to Sociology, Gender and Development, Contemporary Issues in Gender Relationships, Economy and Society, Politics and Governance and Elementary Statistics, in Bangladesh. I taught at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), a prominent engineering university in Bangladesh, and North South University (NSU), where I instructed a dozen courses annually to diverse students. My academic  journey also took me to the United States, where I served as a teaching associated (instructor) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, teaching courses such as Introduction to Sociology, Foundations of Sociological Theories, Social Problems, Political Sociology, Work and Society, Conformity and Deviance, and Drugs and Society. My classes typically hosted an average of 30 students per semester, with one instance involving a large class of 110 students.

2024    Ph.D. in Sociology (Expected Spring 2024)

Dissertation: Migration, Remittances, and Social Change: Class, Gender, and Religion in Rural Bangladesh. Committee members: Joya Misra (Chair), Millie Thayer, Donald Tomaskovic-Devey, Lynnette Arnold (Anthropology)

2015    Master of Arts: Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA

2005    Master of Social Sciences: Sociology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2004    Bachelor of Social Sciences: Sociology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2024     Sabur, Md. Abdus “Working-class Masculinity and Status Maneuvering: Relational Construction of Migrants’ Masculinity” Men and Masculinity. (accepted)

2022    Sabur, Md. Abdus “Gender, Veiling, and Class: Symbolic Boundaries and Veiling in Bengali Muslim Families.” Gender & Society 36 (3): 397–421

            2023 Honorable Mention:  American Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Section, Student Paper Award.

            2022 Finalist: American Sociological Association Family Section, Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award.

2021    Sabur, Md Abdus. “Bengali Middle Class: Conservatism and Classificatory Politics” in Sayeed, Ranjana; Ahmed, Shakil; and Mahmuzzaman (Edit) Dreams of Bangladesh at the Age of Fifty: Shaily Publications, Dhaka) (In Bangla).

2021    Bhuiyan, Mahmudur Rahman and Sabur, Md Abdus. “Life of Teenage Girls in Rohingya Camps in Bangladesh: Equation of Hope and Fears” in Siddiki, Bulbul and Sultana, Ishrat Zakia (edit) Rohingya Refugee Life: Uncertain Future and Civilization Responsibility: Prothoma Publications, Dhaka. (In Bangla).

2009     Hassan Mahmud, Md. Abdus Sabur and Sharmin Tamanna “International Migration, Remittances, and Development.” Journal of Sustainable Development Vol. 2, No.1 (March 2009).

2008    Sabur, Md. Abdus and Hassan, Mahmud. “Political Impacts of Remittances: A Micro-level Study of Migrants’ Remittances in a Village in Bangladesh.” Journal of Asian Social Science, Vol.4 No.12 (Dec 2008).

2008    Hassan Mahmud, Mahammad Mahbub Quaisar, Md. Abdus Sabur “Human Security or National Security: The Problems and Prospects of the Norm of Human Security.” Journal of Politics and Law, Vol.1 No.4 (Dec 2008).