How violence shapes place: the rise of neo-authoritarianism in the global value chain and the emergence of an ‘infernal place’ in the Bangladesh garment industry

This article examines how and to what extent violence has become a pivotal tool for conducting business in places integrated into the global value chain. It also explores the roles stakeholders play in silencing workers' resistance within these places. Drawing on an in-depth case study of the Bangladeshi garment industry, this study reveals that both foreign and homegrown violence transform factory floors into infernal places where workers' rights, dignity, emotions, resistance, and even lives are systematically degraded by neo-authoritarian stakeholders. Furthermore, it explores the ways in which a neo-authoritarian regime, disguised as promoting economic growth and stability, normalizes violence in these places through constitutional reforms, amendments, or the revocation of legal frameworks. This study contributes to management research by uncovering place-based violence and the roles of neo-authoritarian alliances in enabling both organizational and social actors, as gatekeepers, to silence workers' resistance. It argues that without a fundamental shift toward anti-authoritarian governance, dismantling these infernal places will remain an insurmountable challenge.