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What has gender to do with dams displacement and resettlement? The late social anthropologist Elizabeth
Colson through her long-term ethnographic research since the 1950s on forced uprooting by development
projects with the Gwembe Tonga of Zambia saw the importance to link gender with the experiences of
uprooted women, men and children (cf. Colson 1971, 1999). Yet, in practice, gender continues to be
overlooked in many dams and resettlement schemes everywhere. This paper critically reviews issues of
dam-induced displacement and resettlement of indigenous communities in Malaysia from a gender lens.
It begins by examining resettlement of dam-displaced indigenous communities in Malaysia, particularly
in my research areas, to highlight gendered and social consequences, and linkages with ancestral land
rights and access to resources. The next section then examines issues of compensation, resettlement and
rehabilitation processes. It concludes with gender insights and lessons from my case studies on dam decisions
and resettlement processes. The paper argues that dam displacement and resettlement issues are
highly gendered, and frequently associated with top-down decisions that seek to legitimise land acquisition
of indigenous peoples’ lands in the name of “development”. I thus call on decision makers and implementers
to adopt a more responsible and gender-responsive approach to “development”.
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