Workshops and Events

In July 2024, a student-led pro-democracy movement toppled the autocratic Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh. High public expectations of democratic restoration and the ideals of the 1971 Liberation War, culminated in the appointment of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the chief advisor of an interim administration. However, within a year, these hopes stand shattered. The nation faces mob violence, suppression of dissent, and a resurgence of anti-liberation elements in institutions. Freedom fighters are being humiliated, Bengali culture assaulted, women's freedoms curtailed, Baul shrines vandalized, war monuments destroyed, and minorities endure communal attacks and fear. 

This talk critically explored Bangladesh's democratic trajectory during this transition, examining political instability, extremism, governance failures, and the erosion of secularism, while proposing pathways for reform and sustainable democratic consolidation.​​
 

Panellists: 

Dr. Nasir Uddin (Visiting Professor at SAI & Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chittagong)

Dr. Eva Gerharz (Professor of Sociology at the Department of Social & Cultural Sciences at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences)

Dr. ASM Mostafizur Rahman is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University.

More Information on the Event

The Department of Political Science, South Asia Institute organized a conference titled ‘After Elections: The Future of Indian Democracy’ on June 28-29, 2024. The conference brought together eminent academics, politicians, activists, journalists and practitioners to discuss the implications of the 2024 general elections in India and their impact for India's democratic future.

More about the Conference

During the two-day workshop, the participants took an in-depth look at the state of democracy in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At a time when more and more states are turning away from democracy, we analysed whether these countries are still considered democracies or are already in a state between democracy and authoritarianism that could be described as competitively authoritarian. In such regimes, those in power use democratic mandates to weaken the opposition but relinquish complete control, which offers democratic forces opportunities for resistance.

The workshop focussed on how states attack or protect democratic institutions and civil society. The role of NGOs and social movements in the fight against authoritarian tendencies and the impact of new laws on civil society's freedom of action were analysed. The aim was to gain in-depth insights into each country and condense these into two chapters per country to produce a volume for the prestigious Oxford series. This approach aimed to promote a meaningful dialogue on the state and future of democracy in South Asia through high standards of scholarship.