Youth Activism in Asia
A New Wave
A dramatic look at the diversity of contemporary youth activism in the world’s most populous region
Description
Over the last decade, a youth revolt has swept through Asia. Massive, regime-rocking protests have grabbed global attention as students and other young people have confronted security forces on the streets, taking great risks to condemn authoritarian rule, promote democracy, and to push forward new agendas of personal freedom and gender equality. Behind the scenes, young people have experimented with novel and diverse modes of political and social activism, often using new tools of online communication and cultural expression, forging new kinds of coalitions, and exploring nonconfrontational and subterranean networking.
Youth Activism in Asia focuses equally on the episodes of spectacular protest and on varieties of less visible engagement, examining the diversity, origins, and impact of contemporary youth activism in Asia. With fifteen case studies, the volume highlights shared patterns among demands, tactical repertoires, and activist networks, and examines what differentiates protest movements across countries and over time. Drawing on original fieldwork and, in many cases, their own experience, the authors address Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and transnational activism. Conceiving of “activism” broadly as any action intended to bring about social and political change, the volume makes theoretical contributions to our understanding of the relationship between protest and democratic backsliding, engagement with new communication technologies, and this generation’s distinctive intersectional politics. Youth Activism in Asia showcases the creativity, energy, boldness, and diversity of a new generation of Asian political activists.
Colm A. Fox is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University.
Meredith L. Weiss is a Professor at the University at Albany, SUNY.
Edward Aspinall is a Professor at Australian National University.
Reviews
“This timely and original book will resonate with scholars and practitioners alike, offering a nuanced understanding of the evolving dynamics of social and political change in the rapidly shifting regional and global landscapes. I have not encountered another work in the literature that provides such a thorough and comprehensive account of this wave of activism.”
- Edmund W. Cheng, City University of Hong Kong