Globalized student anger? A comparative analysis of student movements in Chile (2011), in Québec (2012) and Hong Kong (2014)

Are we witnessing a rise in global student anger, born in the wake of austerity policies and globalised educational reforms? The article responds by leaning upon a comparison of the claims made in three post-2008 student movements, that of Santiago in Chili (2011-2012), the Maple Spring in Montreal (2012) and the Umbrella Movement in Hong-Kong (2014). The comparative approach is based on a statistical and qualitative analysis of the words of anger, in other words, slogans, writings, posters, collected directly during each protest (n=1100). The comparison aims to identify the different mobilised registers, but also the common issues between these three movements. The article demonstrates that beyond their contrasts, the discourses come together in a same fundamental thread articulating three in-depth and linked questions: the value of education, the injustice of debt and the democratic renewal.