On June 7, 2024, the Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) at Hitotsubashi University hosted the 29th GGR Brown Bag Lunch Seminar titled “Milk Tea Wasn’t Brewed in a Day: Transnational Networks and the Rise of the Milk Tea Alliance” featuring Mr. Tuwanont Phattharathanasut as a speaker. Mr. Phattharathanasut is a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Waseda University.
Mr. Phattharathanasut began the seminar by providing contextual background on the wave of youth-led protests that swept across East and Southeast Asia from 2010 to 2021. He examined the establishment of transnational networks during the early 2010s, citing examples such as the “new school for democracy” led by Joshua Wong in 2012. He also referred to collaborative efforts and networking between the Taiwan Sunflower movement, Hong Kong’s Umbrella movement, and Japan’s Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs) in 2015.
Emphasizing the utilization of social media in these movements, often referred to as a “meme war,” Mr. Phattharathanasut showcased the internet’s pivotal role in organization and information dissemination. Furthermore, he outlined the emergence of pre-existing activists uniting in 2020 to form transnational youth networks, highlighting the proverbial expression “Rome was not built in a day” to underscore the prolonged groundwork preceding these movements. The discussion then shifted to the rise of the Milk Tea Alliance (MTA), emphasizing its origins in the free youth movement in Thailand and its significant impact, including connections with activists from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Additionally, the seminar highlighted the role of solidarity campaigns in enhancing the MTA’s influence across borders.
In conclusion, the seminar emphasized that the MTA’s emergence is the culmination of deliberate solidarity-building efforts, rather than spontaneous activism, highlighting the necessity for sustained collaboration beyond social media platforms. Engaging in a lively discussion, participants raised pertinent questions regarding the Japanese involvement in Network of Young Democratic Asians (NOYDA), and strategies for transnational collaboration. Grounded on social movement theories, the seminar provided a robust theoretical framework to contextualize the rise of transnational youth activism in East and Southeast Asia. Additionally, the seminar highlighted the importance of collective action in fostering meaningful change across borders. Overall, the event offered valuable insights into the complexities of transnational youth activism, setting the stage for further research and collaboration in the field.
【Event report prepared by】
Hnin Htet Htet Aung (Master’s student, School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University)
Takahiro Nakajima (Master’s student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)
Sascha Hannig Nuñez (Doctoral student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)
