A Durham University anthropology professor has examined whether a new wave of youth-led protests across South Asia could help build connections between young people and contribute to a more positive future for the region.
Professor Nayanika Mookherjee, from Durham University’s Department of Anthropology, says recent demonstrations in Bangladesh, India and elsewhere reflect shared struggles over education, employment, freedom of expression and state power. Her analysis was published in articles for The Wire and New Age.
The university said the protests have become widespread in South Asia in recent times. While the movements have emerged in countries with different political circumstances, Professor Mookherjee suggests that common concerns could help young people form new links across national borders.
What is driving the youth movements?
The analysis considers how surveillance, censorship, economic insecurity and political controversy are shaping a new wave of activism, particularly among younger generations. The university describes those young activists as committed to democratic participation and social justice.
Professor Mookherjee also links the movements to wider uncertainty facing younger people, including climate change, the emergence of artificial intelligence and global tensions during a period of major change in relations between powerful states.
According to the university, youth movements in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and India have inspired one another despite their differences. The protests therefore offer a possible basis for cooperation around concerns shared across the region.
Examples from India and across South Asia
In India, the Cockroach movement has attracted a large following, particularly among Generation Z. The university said protests there culminated in the resignation of India’s Education Minister.
That uprising followed other youth movements across South Asia in recent years. The university said protests in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh led to regime change in those countries.
Professor Mookherjee’s work places the latest protests within that broader regional history, while also recognising that each movement has its own circumstances. Her argument is that their shared experiences may still create opportunities for solidarity and new connections.
Durham research and the professor’s background
Professor Mookherjee is described by Durham University as an Indian Bengali scholar of political anthropology. She has carried out research in Bangladesh for nearly 30 years and is a member of the university’s Department of Anthropology.
She is also co-director of Durham University’s Institute of Advanced Study. The university said its Anthropology Department is ranked joint 25th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 and sixth in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027.
Readers can find Professor Mookherjee’s articles in The Wire and New Age, alongside further information about her research and Durham’s undergraduate and postgraduate anthropology programmes, through the university’s online news and department pages.