Generational Movements in the Context of Democratic Transition: A Theoretical Introduction to the Concepts and Foundational Statements

This study explores the concepts and premises related to youth movements, particularly as they relate to the democratic transition within the Arab Spring, countries. The study is centered on the idea of the existence and uniqueness of the generation of Arabs who led the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring Generation is more than a group of people in a similar age category: they are a cohesive, highly homogenized group of people who lived through a particular set of events and circumstances and emerged with a unified and distinctive political identity and ethos. With time, this political identity became more permanent. The fact of the youth leading the surge towards democracy does not mean that the "Arab Spring Generation" is inherently more democratic than other cross-sections of the population.

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Abstract

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This study explores the concepts and premises related to youth movements, particularly as they relate to the democratic transition within the Arab Spring, countries. The study is centered on the idea of the existence and uniqueness of the generation of Arabs who led the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring Generation is more than a group of people in a similar age category: they are a cohesive, highly homogenized group of people who lived through a particular set of events and circumstances and emerged with a unified and distinctive political identity and ethos. With time, this political identity became more permanent. The fact of the youth leading the surge towards democracy does not mean that the "Arab Spring Generation" is inherently more democratic than other cross-sections of the population.

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