advocating for the well-being of the people under conditions of a rice and oil price hike. The monks’ uprising challenged the military according to culturally meaningful ideas about the obligations of a ruler to act as the benefactor and protector of the religion. It represented the Sangha’s obligation to withdraw support of a “king”, should protection of the religion require it. Hence, the symbolic protest imagery of “turning over the bowl” in refusal of the military’s alms and of the merit fields that supported military power was tied to the crucial idea that transcendental sources of power acquired through protection of the religion sustains the sovereign.39 Buddhist and royal symbolism have been absent from Gen Z protest repertoires. Their expressive and functional opposition is grounded in democratic ideas of the sovereignty of the people and the rejection of the capricious powers of military authoritarianism. Diverse Movements Coalesce The Gen Z movement also generated deeply felt emotions and ties of affinity between diverse communities that had previously shared little common political space or necessity for civic association: ethnic minority groups, diverse religious groups, rural communities, and small towns from northernmost Kachin state to southernmost Kawthaung.40 Gen Z’s initial street protests, with their multi-messaged street theatre style, sparked creative protests elsewhere in the country in a competitive outpouring of expressive styles: “Floating Protests” at Inle Lake, the “Dawn Protests”, the “Balloon Revolution” in Shan State, nat-gadaw or spirit master protests, the Thapyaynyo revolution in Mandalay featuring Eugenia tree leaves traditionally used to symbolize victories and spiritual power, and of course the ubiquitous 8:00 p.m. pan beating that seemed to unify the entire country from every house and every street. Ingrid Jordt, “Turning Over the Bowl”, Religion in the News X, no. 3 (Winter 2008), http://www2.trincoll.edu/csrpl/RINVol10No3/turning%20over%20the% 20bowl.htm (accessed 5 April 2021). 39 “Myanmar’s Protesters Voice Defiance”, Taipei Times, 22 March 2021, https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2021/03/22/2003754281 (accessed 24 March 2021). 40 22 21-J07648 01 Trends_2021-7.indd 22 28/4/21 9:34 AM