ESCALATING ACTIVISM
So, could the protests escalate into a broader movement for change in the country?
Bangladesh does, in fact, have a rich history of student activism that has led to significant political change. One of the most notable examples occurred in 1952 when Pakistani officials announced that the singular national language of Pakistan was to be Urdu. In response, students at the University of Dhaka organised a protest that sparked widespread civil unrest and ultimately saw Bengali recognised as an official language.
However, student movements in Bangladesh have been successful in the past because they took place within a wider context of organised political opposition, relatively independent state institutions and a strong civil society led by academics. Opposition parties, for example, provided support to student movements to challenge the government by offering resources, strategic guidance and legitimacy to the protests.
This time around, opposition parties are weak, with many of their leaders in jail, and state institutions have been captured by the government. On Jul 23, the government blamed the BNP for the ongoing violence and has threatened more crackdowns against political opponents.
If these protests are to become a wider movement, it will have to be spearheaded by the students themselves, potentially with great cost to human life.
Shahzad Uddin is a Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex. This commentary first appeared on The Conversation.
