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Shahbag Movement and Collective Agency Capability
Activism Research Transformation Conference15th June 2015
Theoretical approach to my research Historical context of the Shahbag Movement
How Shahbag might fit current social movement literature models
How critical theorists give some insights
What the capability approach offers to agency
Understanding collective agency capabilities
History and Context1945 partition of India into east and west Pakistan
1952 Language movement to keep Bengali as a national state language (21st February)
1971 Liberation war (March – December) 300,000 killed, 0.5 million rapped and tortured, 40 million displaced refugees
1975 Military Coup…
2008 Election pledge to establish the ICT for war crimes2010 ICT established to try collaborators2013 Verdict of Second case – sparks Shahbag…
Key events5th Feb 2013 – ICT verdict and judgment for second case,
found guilty of six of the eight crimes against humanity given a sentence of life imprisonment rather than the death sentence
8th Feb Mass rally with 6 point demand11th Feb Debate in Parliament – letter and petition12th Feb Nationwide 3 mins silence observed14th Feb Amendment Bill passed, candle lighting event15th Feb Blogger hacked to death17th Feb Synchronized flag hoisting & anthem21st Feb Balloon release with new demands27th Feb ICT verdict of third case
Skeptical about the verdict, wanted justice Civilian / general / ordinary peoples movement about
Justice, equal right of appeal for prosecution No one new who the nucleus was Young Bloggers ‘unknown / fresh / new faces Non violent ‘cultural protest’ not party political Slogans, songs, dance, drama, poetry, art, film shows
not speeches and meetings, in endless circles, spontaneous, just tried to manage the flow
500,000 participated regularly from around Bangladesh and around the world. 30 million people lit candles all over the world according to google
150,000 at Shahbag Square, women, children, young and old felt safe day and night during peak
Shahbag Movement
‘The last 4 decades the expression of audacity and war criminals position in mainstream politics made the people, particularly the youth very resentful’
‘Politics, economics, education, everything is based on the liberation war spirit and principles. If we don’t base ourselves on what we fought for…then we have no identity’
‘Alternative media much freer to express themselves’‘Shahbag was a new alternative, where people saw a
renewal of Bangladesh’s liberation spirit’Shahbag opened an opportunity, and it was a platform to
show how we felt, an explosion of expression’‘The spirit is in peoples hearts, created by history and
cannot be destroyed’
Shahbag Square
‘Shahbag was different we didn’t come from a political background we were unknown.. We gained the confidence and trust of ordinary people through our blogging activities’
‘Shahbag gave an alternative ‘space’ to express ourselves and our conscience publicly’
‘The media searched for stories and a way to look at and present Shahbag ‘
‘1 million signatures to the Speaker in support of Shahbag’‘Unity was in dealing with such a big injustice first, no issue
is greater than this root cause of the problem’‘That the facebook generation would have such patriotism,
that was the biggest achievement of Shahbag’ ‘Secular, anti-fundamentalist and democratic belief …
without Shahbag the violence wouldn’t have stopped’
Non violent protests
How Social Movement Theory might fitResource Mobilization – previous networks, role of
social media, economic resources and sponsorship
Political Opportunity Structures – Pro liberation Governemnt in power & ICT opportunity but…
Collective Action Frames – identity, agency and injustice, changing CAF’s justice, secularism…
Dynamics of Contention – interactionist, social construction change structure and practice…
How critical insights can helpGramsci – organic leadership with intellectual and moral
bond, war of position, expansive hegemony
Foucault – network power, resistance, agency, freedom an ongoing ethical practice, endless strategic game
Laclau – collective will, populas constructed through social identity created by a demand
Hardt and Negri – the commons, multitude of singularities needs a political project to being it into existence
Post anarchists – moments of rupture outside the system, collective solidarity and freedom
Sen’s Capability Approach to AgencyCapability – ‘being’ depending on collectivities and relationsFunction – ‘doing’ how we live our lives based on choicesAgency – freedom to choose/negotiate what we think & do
Instrumental Freedoms Economic – opportunity to use resourcesPolitical – criticize and scrutinize authoritySocial – live and enjoy goodsTransparency – trust and open communicationSecurity – safe and prevent deprivation
Opportunity and Process freedoms/agency
Collective Agency Capability
Conditions for civil society to impact on structure and practice
Economic Emancipation
Political Empowerment
Social Transformative Network Capital
Read more on my series of five blogs on CCCU PIR Blog site
https://canterburypolitics.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/comparing-shahbag-to-other-movements/
Contact me to share [email protected]
