Youth and Socio-Political Transformation in the Global South: Case of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan youths have played a highly significant social and political role over the last fifty years (Hettige, 2014). This was made possible by the social, economic and political conditions created by successive post-independence regimes, in particular, the introduction of universal free education across the country against a backdrop of a highly unequal social structure created during the British colonial rule. While post-independence state policies resulted in improved socio-economic conditions conducive for population growth, newly introduced universal free education scheme in the 1930’s created opportunities for youths to gain educational credentials needed for upward social mobility. While the population in Sri Lanka doubled from about 6 to 12 million between 1946 to 1971, youth with educational qualifications far outstripped available employment opportunities, leading to widespread youth unrest, culminating in a violent anti-government youth uprising in 1971. Though it was suppressed by the state security apparatus, youth revolt was widely considered as a product of social injustice (Obeyesekere,1974).

Sri Lanka experienced violent agitations by the same and other youth constituencies in the next two decades, including an internal war involving armed youths from the largest Tamil ethnic minority in the 1980’s, in the last two decades, many youth political parties entered the democratic process, contesting at national elections, some members even getting elected to parliament.

The most significant youth political engagement took place this year, when the same political party that led the youth uprising in 1971 came forward with a broader, more inclusive political formation to contest this year’s Presidential election, against the backdrop of the country’s poor governance and unprecedented economic crisis in recent years. Following a stunning electoral triumph, its leader became the 9^th Executive President of Sri Lanka. This major political shift has already set in motion a process of social and political transformation in Sri Lanka.