Walking has long served as a potent form of political expression, transforming the simple act of moving through public spaces into a declaration of dissent, solidarity, and hope. From the revolutionary fervor of May 1968 in Paris, 57 years ago this month, to the contemporary global marches advocating for workers’ rights and protesting state abuses, walking remains an enduring symbol of collective resistance against systemic injustices.

May 1968: The Situationist International and the Power of the Streets

In May 1968, France witnessed a seismic upheaval. Students and workers, always a potent combination, took to the streets, challenging the status quo. The Situationist International (SI), a group of leftist thinkers and artists, played a pivotal role in shaping the ideological underpinnings of these protests. They critiqued the society of the spectacle, where authentic social life had been replaced by representations and commodified experiences. Their slogans, such as “Sous les pavés, la plage!” (“Beneath the paving stones, the beach!”), encapsulated a desire to reclaim everyday life from capitalist alienation. The SI’s emphasis on psychogeography, the study of the effects of the geographical environment on emotions and behavior, or “how a place makes you feel”, highlighted walking as a means to subvert the capitalist cityscape and rediscover authentic experiences.

Contemporary Marches: Grief, Solidarity, and Resistance

It’s been close to 60 years since May ‘68. The Situationist International has left the stage, but the politics of exploitation and abuse still are affecting the people. And, walking continues to be a potent form of political expression, especially in contexts of grief and solidarity. Our upcoming event, Politics of Walking: Grief, Solidarity, and Resistance, will highlight this tradition through discussions on current examples with organizers and participants. This online gathering underscores how walking can serve as a communal act of mourning and a statement of resistance against systemic injustices.

Consider, the March for Our Lives in 2018 in the US, initiated by survivors of the Parkland school shooting, transformed personal grief into a nationwide demand for gun control. Participants walked not only to honor the victims but also to challenge political inaction, embodying a collective call for change.

In South Korea, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign following the Sewol Ferry disaster became a symbol of national mourning and a critique of governmental negligence. Public marches and the widespread display of yellow ribbons signified a collective demand for accountability and reform.

In recent years, numerous marches have emerged worldwide as responses to state abuses, highlighting the enduring power of walking as a form of protest. Here are just a few.

• Baloch Long March (Pakistan, 2023): Led by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, hundreds of Baloch women and activists marched over 1,600 kilometers from Balochistan to Islamabad to protest enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Despite facing arrests and police resistance, the marchers demanded accountability for state-sponsored human rights violations. 
• July Revolution (Bangladesh, 2024): What began as a student-led protest against discriminatory job quotas evolved into a mass uprising against authoritarianism and human rights abuses. The movement culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, demonstrating how sustained, collective marches can have a profound impact.
• Multiple protests in Kenya (2024, 1, 2): In Nairobi, in late 2024, citizens marched to protest alleged abductions of government critics. The demonstrations, met with police teargas and arrests, underscored growing concerns over state repression and the erosion of civil liberties. Earlier in the year, the country had seen extensive protests protesting against tax increases.
• Georgia Protests (2024 – present): Massive demonstrations erupted in response to proposed legislation perceived as threatening civil liberties. Protesters faced arrests and alleged abuses, highlighting tensions between citizens and state authorities over democratic freedoms.
• Serbian Anti-Corruption Protests (2024 – present): University student-led marches in over 400 cities and towns across Serbia began in response to the deaths of civilians caused by the collapse of a train station canopy. The protests sparked widespread societal mobilization, ultimately leading to the resignation of the prime minister.

Walking as Embodied Protest

These instances illustrate that walking, as a form of protest, is deeply embodied. It is an act that engages the body in public space, making visible the often-invisible emotions of grief, anger, and hope. By occupying streets and public spaces, marchers disrupt everyday routines, forcing society to confront uncomfortable truths.

Moreover, walking as protest fosters a deep sense of community among participants. Shared footsteps become a rhythm of solidarity, each step reinforcing the collective resolve to seek justice and remembrance. As they march, thousands of individuals form one collective body; the sadness and despair once experienced in private are now shared, and through this sharing, empowered. They walk in unison, their voices merging into a single, resonant call for justice and change.

Politics of walking

On the now global stage, we perhaps fall short of a narrative and framework which unites the abused, whether in Serbia, Georgia, Korea, or Venezuela, but from the revolutionary fervor of May 1968, to contemporary marches addressing various social issues and state abuses, walking remains an enduring mode of political expression. It bridges the personal and the political, transforming individual grief into collective action. 

Join us on August 26, when we host Politics of Walking: Grief, Solidarity, and Resistance, with speakers from around the world. We’re currently actively looking for speakers from outside of Europe. Give us a shout if you are interested, or know someone who is.