Youth Activism against Authoritarianism in Asia

From Campus to Confrontation: Youth Activism against Authoritarianism in Asia. Academic Workshop, Special Issue and Artistic Interventions

Between March and November 2025, ABI staff members Anas Ansar, Teresa Jopson, and Ann Philipp realised this project, funded by the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation's Global Unit for Democracy and Human Rights.

The project explores the new wave of youth activism against authoritarianism and its manifestations within and beyond Asia. The project has two distinct, yet interconnected components: academic and civic.

Part 1: Author's Workshop at the ABI in Freiburg (June 26–27, 2025)

The workshop brought together 15 early-career scholars (especially from the Global South) from a variety of disciplinary angles and distinct case studies, working on youth and student political movements against authoritarian regimes across Asia.. It provided a dynamic and intellectually stimulating space for peer engagement, critical feedback, and tailored guidance to strengthen the manuscripts for publication in 2026. Participants explored a diverse array of topics that reflect the vibrancy and complexity of contemporary youth resistance in Asia—ranging from food politics in India and artistic dissent in Hong Kong, to the LGBT rights movement in China and the pro-democracy youth protests in Thailand. Read the report here. Based on this workshop, ABI's Journal International Quarterly for Asian Studies will publish a Special Issue in 2026.

Part 2: Photo Exhibition on the 2024 uprisings & public panel discussion amongst stakeholders of Bangladesh's revolution (August 6, 2025, in Dhaka, Bangladesh)

To recognise the contributions of artists and activists, the ABI organised, together with the North South University (NSU) an exhibition and an activists’ workshop in Dhaka. 380 people attended, amongst them the leaders of Bangladesh's political parties and activist movements, families of martyred NSU-students, and Dr. Bernd Spanier, Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union to Bangladesh. The turnout demonstrates the synergy of art and activism in pursuing a political and social transformation. Through these complementary activities, the project expects to offer transferable lessons with global implications, highlighting the universal struggle for democracy and social justice around the world. Read the full report here.