“Living With” Revolution: The Everyday Experiences of Myanmar’s Generation Z Revolutionaries

Abstract

Myanmar’s Spring Revolution has been built around the actions and voices of what is often referred to as “Generation Z.” Beginning with widespread creative acts of protest, the growth of a powerful civil disobedience movement and violent resistance in the form of People’s Defence Forces, Myanmar’s younger generation have galvanised the country-wide revolution against the leaders of the 2021 military coup. Much of the literature theorising revolutions emphasises their rupture-like qualities and treats revolutionary events as the fundamental unit of analysis. Against this way of proceeding, building from anthropological debates this article makes a case for understanding how young people experience and live with revolution. Drawing on the experiences of young revolutionaries in Karen State, the article highlights the importance of understanding revolutions from below.