Looking beyond threat-victim binary: an ethnographic study of Tibetan youth activism in India

Purpose This paper explores how Tibetan youth in India navigate statelessness not as passive victims but as politically agentic actors. While earlier generations framed exile as a commitment to preserving Tibetan identity and resisting assimilation, younger Tibetans increasingly contest the constraints of statelessness by demanding citizenship, engaging in activism and redefining their identity in hybrid legal and cultural terms. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Dharamsala (2022–2023) and Judith Butler's theorization of refugee agency, this study examines how Tibetan youth move beyond the threat-victim binary to assert new forms of belonging. By leveraging legal strategies, digital activism and transnational migration, they articulate statelessness as a dynamic and contested condition. Findings The paper argues that these emerging subjectivities reflect a generational transformation in the Tibetan exile narrative one that demands a reassessment of dominant refugee frameworks and the politics of recognition. Originality/value The paper offers an original contribution by reframing Tibetan statelessness through the lens of youth agency, revealing how a new generation transforms exile from a narrative of victimhood into one of political and generational redefinition.