Violence, public order and the state in South Asia: Understanding the role of political violence in governance in Bangladesh

The presence of non-state violent actors in a given territory is often considered to be a sign of state decay and a threat to public order. This research project wants to question this logic and understand better the role of non-state violent actors in shaping governance in South Asia. By using an openended and non-normative approach to both political violence and governance, it aims to investigate the ways in which political violence fosters particular public orders. The research focuses on student
and youth organisations, and on local political party units in Bangladesh and not only wants to understand how violence is a part of their everyday operations, but also what the place is of violence in the everyday governance activities they are engaged in. Using both qualitative (e.g. indepth interviews and non-participatory observation) and quantitative (event catalogue from newspaper content analysis) methods to get access to the organisations, their operations and their linkages with other groups engaged in governance (e.g. politicians, state officials, administrators), this research project wants to contribute to a better understanding of everyday governance and the working of the state in South Asia and the role of violence therein.