Dr Meghan Downes - Urban Youth

Young Indonesians are often misunderstood. The older generations perceive them as entitled, unmotivated, apathetic, and narcissistic, a far cry from the image of the pemuda, or the revolutionary youth who fought for the country’s independence. But what do Indonesian young people actually think about the social, political and economic issues around them? Do they care about social inequality and environmental degradation? How do their consumption patterns reflect their values and aspirations? Dr Charlotte Setijadi discusses these issues with Dr Meghan Downes, a Melbourne-based cultural studies scholar with a special focus on the everyday politics of consumption in contemporary Indonesia. Image: Johanes Randy Prakoso on Flickr.