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The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Bert Suykens (UGent)
(2018) CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES. 50(3). p.422-441
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Abstract
Around half a million cycle rickshaws are currently active in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With only 86,000 official licenses available, different types of organizations supply licenses to most rickshaw drivers. These non-official licenses mimic the language of the state. This article argues that while these licenses appear as part of nonstate, hybrid, or twilight institutions, they in fact constitute a state practice. Based on approximately 200 semi-structured interviews at six locations in Dhaka and offering a conceptualization of the Bangladesh state as a party-state, the article shows that the operation of non-official rickshaw licenses and the mimicry entailed is an inherent part of party-state governance, one which is not morally neutral. While most respondents saw the everyday benefits of non-official licenses in the absence of sufficient official ones, the latter remained the most prized and, if made available, respondents agreed that the former would become redundant.
Keywords
Rickshaw, language of the state, governance, partystate, Bangladesh

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Citation

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MLA
Suykens, Bert. “The Mimicry of the State as a State Practice : The Regulation of Rickshaw Licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh).” CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES, vol. 50, no. 3, Informa UK Limited, 2018, pp. 422–41, doi:10.1080/14672715.2018.1491319.
APA
Suykens, B. (2018). The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh). CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES, 50(3), 422–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2018.1491319
Chicago author-date
Suykens, Bert. 2018. “The Mimicry of the State as a State Practice : The Regulation of Rickshaw Licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh).” CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES 50 (3): 422–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2018.1491319.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Suykens, Bert. 2018. “The Mimicry of the State as a State Practice : The Regulation of Rickshaw Licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh).” CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES 50 (3): 422–441. doi:10.1080/14672715.2018.1491319.
Vancouver
1.
Suykens B. The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh). CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES. 2018;50(3):422–41.
IEEE
[1]
B. Suykens, “The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh),” CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 422–441, 2018.
@article{8569475,
  abstract     = {{Around half a million cycle rickshaws are currently active in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With only 86,000 official licenses available, different types of organizations supply licenses to most rickshaw drivers. These non-official licenses mimic the language of the state. This article argues that while these licenses appear as part of nonstate, hybrid, or twilight institutions, they in fact constitute a state practice. Based on approximately 200 semi-structured interviews at six locations in Dhaka and offering a conceptualization of the Bangladesh state as a party-state, the article shows that the operation of non-official rickshaw licenses and the mimicry entailed is an inherent part of party-state  governance, one which is not morally neutral. While most respondents saw the everyday benefits of non-official licenses in the absence of sufficient official ones, the latter remained the most prized and, if made available,  respondents agreed that the former would become redundant.}},
  author       = {{Suykens, Bert}},
  issn         = {{1467-2715}},
  journal      = {{CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES}},
  keywords     = {{Rickshaw,language of the state,governance,partystate,Bangladesh}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{422--441}},
  publisher    = {{Informa UK Limited}},
  title        = {{The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh)}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2018.1491319}},
  volume       = {{50}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}
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