This contribution is dedicated to an in-depth look at the cycle of the Gilets Jaunes protests that marked the French and European political landscape between November 2018 and the beginning of 2020. An unexpected social and political phenomenon, this movement accompanied the presidency of Emmanuel Macron and influenced his political agenda. Through “co-research” work done in direct contact with the movement, the essay analyzes the social and geographical composition of the participants, the political context in which it emerged, and its forms of organization and struggle. It argues that by subverting the frustration of social and geographical declassing, the Gilets Jaunes managed to constitute an unprecedented case of democratic counter-power.
The Gilets Jaunes: From Declassing to Counter-power
Marta Camell Galí has a degree in Philosophy from the University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis with a master’s thesis on the social question in the works of Gabriel Tarde and Gilbert Simondon. She is part of the Plateforme d’Enquêtes Militantes collective.
Matteo Polleri is a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Paris Nanterre (Laboratoire Sophiapol) and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. His research is focused on the contemporary contamination between Marx’s social philosophy and Foucault’s theory of power. He is part of Plateforme d’Enquêtes Militantes (Paris) and Laboratorio Autogestito Manituana (Turin).
Federico Puletti is a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Paris Nanterre (Laboratoire Sophiapol) and University Alma Mater of Bologna. His research focuses on the concept of “Cooperation” in Marx and the analysis of contemporary transformations of work and accumulation processes. He is part of the Plateforme d’enquêtes Militantes collective.
Marta Camell Galí, Matteo Polleri, Federico Puletti; The Gilets Jaunes: From Declassing to Counter-power. South Atlantic Quarterly 1 October 2020; 119 (4): 866–876. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-8663771
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