This issue titled "Youth Movements against Authoritarianism in Asia, Part I" is edited by ABI staff members Anas Ansar and Teresa Jopson in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation. It is tightly connected to the project "From Campus to Confrontation: Youth Activism against Authoritarianism in Asia" which was realized at the ABI from March to November 2025. The issue is a product of an author's workshop carried out as part of the project. In total, 24 participants attended, including contributors from 10 Asian countries.
Asia is home to approximately one billion youth aged 10 to 24 years – 60% of the world's young people. In recent years, the frequency with which students and the youth have been at the forefront of political and social movements across Asia has captured the world’s attention. Movements such as the pan-Asian "Milk Tea Alliance", the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and the 2024 student and youth uprising in Bangladesh and Nepal signal a new wave of youth activism which reshape the political landscape across Asia.
By drawing on diverse disciplinary approaches and case studies, the collection of articles in this issue traces the evolving nature of these youth mobilizations and develops a nuanced understanding of resistance from below. Taken together, they demonstrate that youth movements are neither ephemeral moments of generational dissent nor isolated national phenomena. Rather, they are politically consequential and increasingly interconnected forms of collective action that challenge entrenched structures of power while reimagining alternative political futures.