Imperceptible Politics of “the Crowd,” with Anthropologist Nusrat Chowdhury | Kellogg Institute For International Studies

About the Episode:

In this episode of Global Stage, anthropologist Nusrat Chowdhury discusses her critical analysis of Bangladeshi “chhatra-janata” or student-people in popular protests, slogans, and graffiti that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. In conversation with Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate and sociologist Eisar Haider, she reflects on “crowd politics” of social movements beyond the generational differences in social movements, and the links between “signature” infrastructure projects and authoritarian populism. Chowdhury also describes the forms of resistance in language and the subaltern sources she noticed when undertaking ethnographic methods in her fieldwork.

Show Notes:

Welcome to Global Stage, a podcast highlighting academic and policy-oriented international research on democracy and human development. Global Stage is brought to you by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Your host today is Kellogg Doctoral Affiliate Isar Haider, a PhD candidate in sociology at Notre Dame. She is joined by Kellogg visiting fellow Nusrat Chowdhury, an associate professor of anthropology at Amherst College. Her book Paradoxes of the Popular: Crowd Politics in Bangladesh, published in 2019, examines the political role of crowds.

To begin, Chowdhury discusses the aesthetic and affective aspects of political communication, including the sonic and visual dimensions of protest. She credits William Mazzarella, an anthropologist of media, for his work on mediation, which challenges the idea that crowd behavior is purely immediate and unstructured. While effect is often perceived as unmediated, it is always shaped by cultural and historical contexts. She illustrates this by referencing the July 2024 protests in Bangladesh, where slogans from past uprisings were revived.

The conversation shifts to Bangladesh’s unique post-colonial history, shaped by both British colonialism and Pakistani rule. The political language and actions of contemporary protests still carry traces of anti-colonial struggles. The Awami League, the ruling party for much of Bangladesh’s post-independence history, has long positioned itself as the guardian of the country’s secular and nationalist legacy, portraying itself as the force that won Bangladesh’s independence. However, the 2024 protests marked a significant departure from this narrative. The 2024 uprising has been described as a "Gen Z movement." This detachment from older nationalist narratives has allowed them to resist the emotional pull of state-sponsored historical narratives. However, Chowdhury argues that certain characteristics of crowd politics in South Asia transcend generations. Her book, published in 2019, analyzes rural movements and anti-mining protests, yet its insights remain relevant to the recent urban uprisings.

In closing, Chowdhury highlights the importance of ethnographic methods in capturing these hidden dynamics. She notes that scholars, activists, and policymakers often seek clear-cut narratives of resistance, but real political struggles are far more complex. By examining rumors, slogans, and unexpected political acts, her work sheds light on the nuanced ways in which people navigate authoritarian populism and infrastructural politics.

Links:

Learn more about Nusrat Chowdhury.
Learn more about the Kellogg Institution for International Studies.

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