ABSTRACT

The Trajectory of Peace and Conflict Studies in Bangladesh : A Critical Overview
Abul Kalam Azad

 

Bangladesh with its draconian problems of poverty, economic underdevelopment, lack of resources, over-population, natural disasters etc. doubtlessly presents a frustrating scenario typical of the Third World countries. As a result, conflicts in Bangladesh, either manifest or remain latent, taking different shapes and forms at different points of time. The country, with 150 million people crammed in an area of 144,000 sq. km had a traumatic birth as it was born amidst violent armed struggle. In the aftermath of its birth, the country’s failure to sort out the ideological conflict that it inherited from the history virtually kept the society polarized along issues like nationalism, secularism and models of development. Most of the conflicts in the society are endemic in the sense that they are rooted in the very dynamics of regional history whereas the others are structural in so far as they are embedded in the socio-political structures of the country. The latter get further exacerbated through interaction of the historical forces, on the one hand, and interventions of various kinds by state, sub-national and external forces, on the other.

Currently, Bangladesh is confronted with continuing dissension on core national issues such as national identity, development strategy, role of religion in national life, national security and foreign relations etc. Lack of democratic practices and institutions, unequal distribution in power, influence and opportunity, destructive parochial politics, narrow interests and lack of tolerance of the political parties, suppression of fundamental and political rights of the citizens, inequality before law and justice, good governance etc. make the conflict scenario of Bangladesh even worse. Dysfunctional politics coupled with economic malfunctioning and environmental distresses cripple the nation with deleterious effects on the country’s peace and prosperity.

Against the stated backdrop, the proposed paper would endeavor to study as to how the various sources of conflict in Bangladesh are being tackled at various levels to ensure peace in the society. The paper would argue that peace and conflict studies in Bangladesh is still in its formative stage as few institutions (government and non-governmental) are involved in it, and that the approaches for understanding the conflict dynamics in the society remain mired in few perceptions greatly influenced by security and development paradigms.

 

 

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