“The duty of youth is to challenge corruption”, said Kurt Cobain. Youth certainly took this duty seriously in the heyday of student activism in the 1960s and 70s. Then, activism was an inherent part of student life, a social and recreational, as well as political, activity. Student activism forced the world to tackle racism, apartheid, and the Vietnam War. Has this former zeal been incurably replaced by apathy and passivity?

Large-scale student activism is not entirely ‘dead’. 2010 saw the explosive protests over tuition fees, arising from universities across the UK. On 10 November 2010, around 400 Cambridge students joined crowds of over 50,000 in London, a day of demonstrations which culminated in the siege on Millbank (Conservative HQ).

However, there are differences between the tuition fee protests and the student activism of old. Firstly, and most obviously, it was a one-off: an exception rather than the rule. Secondly, it was a response to an issue which directly affected students. Compare this to, say, protests over Vietnam, where students came out in force over a conflict taking place 6,000 miles away.

I do not doubt for a moment the sincerity of many protestors in their ideological opposition to the principle of high tuition fees, nor am I suggesting that students shouldn’t fight for issues which directly affect them. I am merely observing that, in order to provoke the most significant activist movement of the university population for years, it took an issue that directly affected that population.

Of course, there is a positive aspect to the decline in student activism: some of the greater evils which students rallied against in the past have since dissipated. As Micha Eversley, who headed the successful Living Wage campaign at King’s College, puts it: “I regret that students aren't as engaged, although I don't regret that the issues may not be as immediately engaging”.

The Vietnam War and apartheid were easy targets; black-and-white violations of human rights, which seem a world away to the current generation. Even highly controversial conflicts like the Iraq War did not bear witness to the unequivocal atrocities of Vietnam, such as the carpet bombing of civilians. It is also worth bearing in mind the rise of alternative forms of protest, notably the internet, as a substitute outlet for protest. Tweeting, sharing articles on Facebook, signing online petitions: all these are valuable alternatives to gathering on the streets.

Aside from the nature of today’s issues, the decline in activism must also seek explanation in the student body itself. Has the current generation of students been brought up in an environment which has left them de-politicised? Has the university environment itself changed, with a proliferation of alternative activities proving more attractive than activism?

Jenny Steinitz, Chairman of The Wilberforce Society, Cambridge’s student think-tank, says that the fault lies not with students, but with politicians. The last half-century has witnessed a “shift in the way politics and policies are shaped. Our [students’] concerns are noted, but ultimately ignored...protests today seem to have no impact on government policy. This in turns leads to a decline in the interest of students in such protests.”

The debate over what has caused the decline of student activism will go on amongst sociologists, historians, and others. Yet student activism should not be allowed to die. There are thousands of issues, domestic and international, worth fighting for today.  

The inequality of our society is appalling. Oxfam recently revealed that the country’s five richest families now own more wealth then the poorest 20% of the population. It is easy to gloss over statistics without taking much notice, owing to the fact that they can be twisted or moulded to suit any argument, but take a moment to digest that information. It is shocking.

The formal regime of apartheid may be gone; but evil, tyranny, oppression, injustice and violation of human rights continue to abound across the globe. Need I mention such obvious examples as detainment and torture at Guantanamo Bay, censorship in China, the kidnap of 276 girls in Nigeria last month, or the brutal oppression of homosexuality in Iran?

Let us recapture the zeal of our predecessors, let us make ourselves a force for good once again. In the words of another musician, Bob Marley: “Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight”.