Youth for democratic resilience: Prospects beyond the degeneration of youth politics in Bangladesh

Abstract

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the role and nature of youth engagement in Bangladesh's democratic resilience. The current study utilized content analysis and in-depth interview approach to explore how Bangladeshi youth respond to democratic participation over a given time period. Youth were at the forefront of every democratic movement in Bangladesh prior to the 1990s, when the country was ruled by the military for fifteen years. Even when they resurrected democracy in 1990 through a bloody mass movement, it was envisioned that youth would be the primary driver for democratic consolidation. However, Bangladeshi youth, particularly students, have developed strong ties to political parties in the post-1990s era and serve as their primary source of mobilization under a party-political regime sometimes described as 'patriarchy', which obstructs meaningful youth involvement in politics. The youth have been heavily controlled by the party structure as a result of their party affiliation, and the space for discussion of their democratic rights has also been curtailed. Due to a lack of space for raising voices, youth have expressed their outrage at the structure through street protests in recent years, providing a glimmer of hope for democracy. Apart from these synopses, this paper concludes by making some recommendations based on the findings of the interviews in order to nurture youth resilience and, in turn, contribute to the strengthening of Bangladesh's democracy.