HSS: Youth and Religion in East and Southeast Asia

The societies of East and Southeast Asia present exciting cases for the study of youth and religion today. Out of its over 2 billion inhabitants, a quarter are within the age of 10 - 24 years old. As a result of developmentalist projects in the region, these young people are growing up in a rapidly changing environment, which interestingly remains to be religious by and large. While specific studies are available, there has been no attempt to understand the collective condition of religion among youth. These presentation aims to consolidate all these studies by asking the following question: In what form does religiosity take shape among young people in East and Southeast Asia today? Drawing from seminal empirical studies (including my own), this presentation attempts to map out the different trends concerning youth and religion in the region.

The presentation offers five trends: conversion, intensification, identity construction, social engagement, and political participation. Invoking the coexistence thesis, these trends demonstrate that there is no one narrative or linear direction concerning the fortunes of religion among young people in the region. Some cases covered in this presentation includeEvangelical megachurches, Reformist Buddhism, Golden Rule Catholicism, and Islamic piety, which have all found their expressions among young people. Towards the end, the presentation identifies the social conditions that account for the flourishing of religion among these youth. These are all tied to social change brought about by economic growth and its challenges in the region.

As an intervention in the literature, the paper hopes to stimulate interest in conducting large-scale and comparative studies on youth and religion in East and Southeast Asia. Indeed, as the region undergoes significant social change, this is the most opportune time to commence a longitudinal study in the hope of answering some critical questions: How sustainable is the vibrancy of religion in the lives of young people today? And which trends, if any, will prevail?