Bert Suykens

Bert holds an MA in History from KU Leuven and a MSc in Conflict and Development from Ghent University. For his PhD, he studied the Maoist movement and Bodo and Naga insurgencies in India. Later he diverted his attention to party-political violence in Bangladesh, focusing on the organisation of collective violence, student politics and sacrifice as part of party-political violence. While the work in Bangladesh is continuing, he has recently started a research line on the political economy of sand commodity chains and has again taken up his research interest in Maoist martyrdom.

New Publication: Sand urbanism in Bangladesh: Transitions of sand extraction and trade in Dhaka-Narayanganj

Sand is shaping and has shaped urban development in many parts of the world. Developing the concept of sand urbanism, this paper aims to understand the recursive constitution of sand extraction and urbanity.

The political economy of river sand mining in South Asia: A commodity chain approach

South Asia's riverbeds are a primary site of conflict between the need for development and environmental protection.

The political economy and governance of river sand commodity chains in Ethiopia

This research, outreach and networking project aims to better understand the political economy and governance of river sand commodity chains in Ethiopia to put the topic on the agenda of policy makers and civil society in Ethiopia.

The moral politics of violent death in Bangladesh

This project wants to understand how rebel groups and societies deal with violent death as a part of civil strife.

Martyrdom and propaganda ontologies in Maoist India

In writings produced by the Naxalite Maoist movement in India, martyrdom features extensively.

Dataset on political violence in Bangladesh

This project starts from a new dataset on political violence in Bangladesh. Based on four newspapers (one English, three Bengali) the project aims to map political violence in Bangladesh from 1991 to the present.

Current research projects:

The political economy of river sand mining in South Asia: A commodity chain approach

South Asia's riverbeds are a primary site of conflict between the need for development and environmental protection.

The political economy and governance of river sand commodity chains in Ethiopia

This research, outreach and networking project aims to better understand the political economy and governance of river sand commodity chains in Ethiopia to put the topic on the agenda of policy makers and civil society in Ethiopia.

The moral politics of violent death in Bangladesh

This project wants to understand how rebel groups and societies deal with violent death as a part of civil strife.

Martyrdom and propaganda ontologies in Maoist India

In writings produced by the Naxalite Maoist movement in India, martyrdom features extensively.

Dataset on political violence in Bangladesh

This project starts from a new dataset on political violence in Bangladesh. Based on four newspapers (one English, three Bengali) the project aims to map political violence in Bangladesh from 1991 to the present.

Research Projects under Supervision:

Publications: