ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the social formation in Dhaka city. It analyses the social, economic, cultural and political make-up of this megacity over the period of 20 years between 1985 and 2005. Finding relevant information to understand social change over a period of two decades was a challenging task. According to one estimate, there were about 350,000 employees of government, semi-government, government corporate and autonomous bodies living in Dhaka city in 2005. In 1985, only 9 per cent of the government and semi-government employees lived in government and semi-government accommodation. However, the largest single concentration of this category of people is still located in government and semi-government quarters. On the other hand, visiting and interviewing them in their offices or private accommodation was impractical. Therefore, in order to study them separately, our only option was to approach them in their official accommodation.
