Political subjectivity and everyday citizenship in Medan coffee shops: a phenomenological ethnography of Generation Z

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how coffee-shop sociability shapes political subjectivity and everyday citizenship among Generation Z in Medan through a phenomenological ethnographic lens. Based on participant observation in three differentiated coffee shops, 15 interviews with male Generation Z regulars, and conversations with proprietors, this study traces how information moves from TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp into face-to-face conversation. Findings show that joking, storytelling, disagreement, and the vernacular address of the ketua create recognition and equality, enabling young men to interpret issues collectively. Yet these spaces also reproduce gender exclusion, class segmentation, hierarchies of knowledge, homophily, and misinformation. Coffee-shop discussions strengthen political awareness but rarely lead to formal participation. A major contribution of this study is the concept of the Ambivalent Political Third Place, which explains how informal urban spaces can simultaneously cultivate political selves and reproduce unequal publicness. The findings advance anthropological debates on youth, digital mediation, masculine conviviality, and everyday citizenship in Indonesia.