Millennials Strike Back

Griffith Review #56

by Julianne Schultz (Editor), Jerath Head (Contributor), Courtney Landers (Contributor)

Millennials have had bad press for a long time. Now they are fighting back, making their mark on a world that is profoundly different from the one their parents knew.

The oldest were in primary school when the Soviet Union collapsed and deregulation swept the west. As they entered adulthood they witnessed 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq and, more recently, watched as Chinese capitalism revived consumerism, the global financial crisis pushed capitalism to the brink, and Facebook was born.

This is the best educated, most connected generation ever, but the world they live in does not offer easy pathways. Some millennials are detached and disillusioned, but others are coming up with innovative ideas, experimenting with new ways to live and work. Their vision and energy will shape the future.

This special edition of Griffith Review is devoted to the challenges and opportunities this generation is facing and embracing—political uncertainty, climate change, globalisation and economic stagnation.

Genres: Essays

264 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

JULIANNE SCHULTZ is the founding editor of Griffith REVIEW. She is on the boards of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Grattan Institute. She is the Chair of the Queensland Design Council and the reference group on the National Cultural Policy, deputy chair of the Australian Council of Learned Academies Securing Australia’s Future project and on advisory committees with a focus on education, media and Indigenous issues. Since co-chairing the Creative Australia stream at the 2020 Summit she has been actively involved in cultural policy debates. She has been a judge of the Miles Franklin Award, Myer Foundation Fellowships and Walkley Awards. She is the author of Reviving the Fourth Estate: Democracy, accountability and the media (Cambridge University Press, 1998), Steel City Blues (Penguin, 1985) and the librettos Black River and Going into Shadows.

Reviews

[Text Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘[A] rich and enlightening and often surprising collection.’
Peter Pierce, Australian

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of late to the party on this one - I actually saw a preview article from Griffith Review 57, went to order that, and saw this existed. Ordered both, then by the time they arrived I was Too Damn Busy.

Having said that: this was a really good read. My copy is filled with little flaggies. Particular highlights:

Omar Sakr's poem Ordinary Things.
Ashely Kalagian Blunt, Today is already yesterday
Sophie Allan, Under the skin: home, history and love in patriarchy

Other outstanding pieces by Timmah Ball, Fiona Wright, too many more to name.

[Tilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically every single piece in this collection is incredible. Forget Meanjin and subscribe to the Griffith Review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and timely, this collection of essays, memoir, poetry and fiction is a must-read. It tackles issues as wide-ranging as identity, sexuality, health and housing, and each piece packs a punch. If anyone asked me to summarise contemporary Australia, I would hand them this volume.