Students in 2026 use cardboard as a symbol of resistance, echoing past movements like the Yellow Vests and 1968 protests.
Student movement of 2026 shows intersectionality
The student movement of autumn 2026 has been noted for its scale, with blockades occurring across all regions, and for its intersectionality, uniting students from both suburban and urban areas. Observers have highlighted the inventiveness of the songs, slogans, and attire used by the participants. Cardboard as a symbol of youth fragility
The movement has also drawn attention to the use of cardboard as the medium for their demands, which reflects the precarious and fragile condition of the youth involved. This generation, born between 2009 and 2011, who entered secondary school during the pandemic and were confined immediately, has shown an unexpected capability in handling politics, humor, and solidarity. Parallels to the Yellow Vest movement
Despite being described as illiterate, this youth has demonstrated a significant relationship with writing. The use of cardboard as a medium for their demands parallels the Yellow Vest movement of 2018-2019, which used safety vests as banners. These vests were customized at the points of blockage, transforming into individual banners that expressed a range of narratives, from personal portraits to political demands and critiques of police repression. Historical context of symbolic resistance
The Yellow Vests movement had turned the safety vest into a part of their identity, a form of resistance against neoliberal norms and global uniformity. Many still keep their vests at home or in their cars, and the gesture was extensively photographed. This practice can be compared to historical instances, such as Japanese activists in 1968 who used construction helmets as symbols of resistance, and Aveyron farmers in the 1970s who marked their sheep with slogans. Cardboard as a material of the era
The students of 2026 do not use traditional banners or printed t-shirts but collect their banners, using the most common object in daily life: cardboard. This aligns with the intuition of historian Alain Corbin, who assigned each era a material, suggesting the years 2025 are the moment of cardboard. The Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn had anticipated this by using cardboard and brown tape for his public interventions. Slogans reflect globalized labor and inequality
The student movement of 2026 recycles the rebus of daily life in a globalized world, reflecting on the internet orders that generate thousands of packages delivered by workers for minimal pay. The signs held by students, written in colored marker, go beyond simple slogans, expressing opposition to neoliberalism and the lifestyles it generates. The slogans are humorous, serious, and filled with anger, addressing the social inequalities in the French school system and the repression faced by the movement.
