What Makes a Gen Z Movement? : Analyzing the 2024 Bangladesh July Uprising from a Social Movement Perspective

Sammanfattning

The 2020s has seen a wave of youth-led mobilization sweep across Asia and beyond, being popularly referred to as Gen Z movements. The 2024 July Uprising in Bangladesh is dubbed the world’s first successful Gen Z movement by media and scholars alike, but what exactly does this entail? The seemingly undefined but emerging elements of Gen Z mobilization need to be studied to understand this generation’s relationship with politics and to address future governance. The aim of this paper is to describe the July Uprising from a social movement perspective, analyzing to what extent it is a case of a Gen Z movement, in order to gain a better understanding of the youth-led mobilization of our time. The research question is approached using mixed methods of protest event analysis and semi-structured interviews. Results show mixed indications of a Gen Z movement. Expectations are met in age criteria, system reform, online activism and mobilization as well as layered leaderfullness. Conflictingly, there are no indications of Gen Z self-designation or transnationality. Some Gen Z characteristics weakened as the movement progressed. The powerful endurance of Gen Z-led mobilization and complexity of the concept illuminates why this emerging phenomenon deserves scholarly attention.