the torch theory of youth leadership in nusantara malay archipelago: fourtypologies in indonesian cities

The present discourse on leadership has been dominated by literature centred on the babyboomersand even on the older cohorts. yet, with the rise of the millennial generation and their influx intothe various spaces within the society, be they economic, social or political, there are limited studies andestablished theories of youth leadership in this era. even more at stake is the draught of youth leadershiptheorizing based on home-grown communities, local identities and indigenous cultures. this is especiallytrue in the cultural space of nusantara malay archipelago, where indonesia, malaysia, brunei, singapore,southern thailand and philippines are situated. this article is based on a research to lay-downfoundational constructs in order to address this empirical and theoretical vacuum. the objective of theresearch is to examine the paradigms of youth leaders. the sample involves thirty-five (35) youth leadersof community-based organizations (cbos), born between 1980 to 2000, from four major cities inindonesia. it employs an abductive research strategy whereby the constructs are built from theinformants’ own conceptualization of meanings and practices of leadership. through analysis of in-depthinterviews and organizational profiling, the authors discovered four typologies of youth leadership. theyare namely piningit (saviour), penyatu (unifier), perantau (explorer) and pemberdaya (enabler), togetherthey form what the authors term as the torch theory of nusantara malay archipelago youth leadership asthese leadership models are based on local wisdom, cultural values and heritage of the archipelago.