In this chapter, we consider student involvement in protests against the pension reforms in France in 2023 and how this might be understood in the context of national history, collective memory, alliances between student unions and trade unions, and a long history of student action (Bessant 2021). First, we provide an account of related student protests in France and briefly outline what triggered the recent pension reform protests. Then, we focus on the actions of young people: what mobilised them and how they protested. We note too how this took place in a context of heavy-handed policing and confrontations with different kinds of police actions.
Our account emphasises how the lived experience and intergenerational historical memory come together to shape the politics we see in play in the pension protest movement in 2023.
Référence bibliographique
Bessant, J. et Pickard, S. (2026). Student Protests and Youth Action Against the Pension Reforms in France in 2023. Dans C. Erdal et J. Kennelley (dir.), De Gruyter Handbook of Youth Activism (p. 299-310). De Gruyter.
