ABSTRACT
The Qeerroo youth movement has been an important political actor over the past 20 years in Ethiopia and played a key role in regime change in 2018. However, its position in relation to institutional politics has become more complex in recent years, with consequences for the possibilities offered by the movement as a space for young people to exercise voice and agency. This case study considers the temporality of youth movements such as the Qeerroo, and particularly the challenges that youth movements face in co-optation and manipulation by institutional political actors as wider conditions for participation shift. Countering the assumption that youth movements may be more inclusive and progressive, findings also suggest that gender inequalities constrain opportunities for participation in Qeerroo activities.
