Introduction: The Evolution of Generational Analysis and International Theory

Abstract

W ith the 2008 election of the first “post-boomer” US President, Barack Obama, generational discussions have once again permeated the US and international popular media. In normative terms, there is something transcendental and even hopeful about contemporary generational talk. Although such ideas are gross simplifications, the “Millennial” generation in the United States is often associated with idealist attitudes and volunteerism, while the “Greatest Generation” of World War II veterans remains an iconic example of heroism and self-sacrifice. Generational thinking has similarly animated political discussions in other countries. Despite the use of the term Null Stunde (zero hour) to refer to the fundamental nature of its break with the past, West Germany’s transition from the Nazi era to liberal democracy was fraught with generational conflicts, often framed by the question asked by many German young people of the “68 Generation”: “what did you do during the war?” 1 In South Korea, the emergence of the “386 Generation”—denoting the computer processor speed common to its members’ year of birth—has marked the transition from older Koreans’ general acceptance of the historical role of the United States in Republic of Korea politics with a new generation that has questioned and often resisted American influence. 2 These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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