Youth Movements

Rally in Support of Hongkongers, Other Groups Facing Oppression from China Held to Mark Chinese National Day

Brian Hioe
Groups rallied today in front of the legislature to call attention to the Chinese government’s authoritarianism and to call on the Taiwanese government to take stronger action for Hongkongers in need of assistance. The rally took place today because October 1st is Chinese National Day...
EnglishFeaturedOctober 2021Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements7 min read

Manichaeism with Chinese Characteristics: A Look Back on the “China and the Left” Conference

Brian Hioe
The Qiao Collective, Monthly Review, and People’s Forum came together to hold a conference on the topic of “China and the Left” on September 18th in New York City, an event featuring such luminaries of the tankie left ranging from Max Ajl to Mark Tseng Putterman and Vijay Prashad. Reportedly around 150 were in attendance, though many hundreds more attended online by livestream, and videos of the event accumulated thousands of views in the days afterward...
EnglishFeaturedSelf-DeterminationSeptember 2021Social MovementsYouth Movements46 min read

‘I Think We Can Learn a Lot From Black Thinkers’: An Interview With Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal

Eraldo Souza dos Santos
In 2017, the student press founded by Thai student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal published เวลาอยู่ข้างเรา: หนังสือวันเกิดโจชัว หว่อง (Time is on our side: A book for Joshua Wong’s 21st birthday), which included translations of Liu Xiaobo’s ‘The June second hunger strike declaration’ and Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘Letter from Birmingham city jail.’ I talked with Netiwit at the beginning of July about his translation of King’s ‘Letter,’ the influence of Black political thought on his activism, and the politics of civil disobedience in Thailand...
EnglishInterviewsJuly 2021Social MovementsYouth Movements16 min read

Cutting the Flowers: Youth Activism in Myanmar

Alec Stimac
Imagine sitting at the front line of an anti-coup protest, facing riot police with nothing but the clothes on your back and the words that you shout. Imagine not knowing whether your state was heading into civil war or massacre. For a decade you thought democratic reform was the answer to your country’s flawed political system but now realize that insurrections and coups have easily dismantled and impoverished your home and its values. You are fighting for something that is hard to believe yet still hold onto hope and each other. It takes courage in the face of terror and fear...
EnglishJuly 2021Social MovementsYouth Movements9 min read

Controversy Over Accommodations for Taiwan’s Olympic Athletes Reflects Culture of Abuse, Authoritarian Legacy

Brian Hioe
Controversy has broken out regarding the Tokyo Olympics, primarily revolving around the accommodations for Taiwan’s athletes competing in the Olympics. Indeed, much of the controversy hinges around matters of national pride about athletes who represent Taiwan on the international stage. At the same time, the deeper roots of the controversy are rooted in the legacy of authoritarianism in Taiwan, particularly regarding kickbacks for government officials with ties to the KMT party-state and a deeply-rooted culture of abuse in Taiwanese sports...
EnglishJuly 2021Social MovementsYouth Movements7 min read

Political Disqualifications in Macau Draw From the Template of Hong Kong

Brian Hioe
21 pro-democracy legislative candidates in Macau were disqualified from running for office earlier this week. This took place on the basis of new requirements stipulating that electoral candidates must pledge allegiance to Macau and the Macau Basic Law, as well as uphold the Chinese constitution and decisions made by China’s National People’s Congress...
EnglishJuly 2021Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read