Emotional resistance and identity formation in youth in post-coup Myanmar revolutionary landscape

This study argues that the political awakening of Myanmar’s post-coup youth is not merely a reactive response to authoritarianism but a formative process of emotional and identity reconstruction with profound implications for the country’s democratic future. The 2021 military coup did not simply dismantle a fragile political order; it catalyzed a generational crisis in which young people were compelled to reimagine the meaning of citizenship, belonging, and collective agency under violent repression. Drawing on psychosocial theory, this study examines how political resistance has become central to the construction of selfhood amid societal collapse. Based on 50 in-depth interviews with youth activists and digital ethnographic observation, three key dynamics emerge. First, youth engage in emotional reframing by transforming fear and despair into moral clarity through protest rituals, digital mourning, and shared cultural symbols. Second, activism becomes a form of identity work, offering purpose, belonging, and a pathway to adulthood in the absence of institutional scaffolding. Third, despite their resilience, youth face emotional exhaustion and generational dissonance, navigating fractured familial relationships and diverging worldviews. Social media platforms function not merely as communication tools but as affective arenas where generational identities are negotiated, emotions amplified, and solidarities forged.