PlainGeets

In France, “la rentrée” (pronounced: ʀɑ̃tʀe) is a significant cultural and social phenomenon that occurs in September. The term can be translated as “the return” and is a synonym of “back to school.” And yes, la rentrée does indeed mark the beginning of the school year for students of all ages, from primary school to university, with all the stress and excitement of reunions with old friends, and a whole new chapter of academic challenges. It is a time when students return to their classes after the summer break, and families are seen in a shopping frenzy for school supplies and new clothes for their children in preparation for this event. The cultural significance of rentrée however, goes way beyond just the start of the school year.

I was always vaguely aware of the rentrée in other contexts, like the rentrée littéraire, but I’d never really paid attention to just how much the concept means to the French. September is also a busy month for cultural and social events in France. Many theaters, museums, and cultural institutions start their new seasons, and various events and festivals take place. This also includes the release of new books, films, and music albums. But it doesn’t stop there.

La rentrée is also synonymous with back to work. Everybody is returning to the daily grind after their summer holidays, which as I’ve come to realise after two years in France, are as sacrosanct as it gets. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just a regular employee in a big organisation, an artist, a minister, a business owner, or even a startup entrepreneur…everyone hits the pause button during summer, and pretty much disappears en vacances!

Summer holidays have gained importance across the world as a crucial respite from the relentless demands of work, and a way to maintain productivity and sustain mental health in the face of unrelenting work demands and the potential threat of burn-out and work-related existential angst. Holidays have become a powerful symbol of reclaiming personal time and prioritizing mental and emotional health in the pursuit of a more balanced and fulfilling existence, and nowhere is this embodied more obviously than in France.

The growing importance of summer holidays is, but of course, accompanied by an almost deliriously insane importance of the rentrée. Stores and retailers offer special promotions and sales not only for school supplies, but also for the fresh new season back at work! The sheer number of advertisements by brands touting a brand new look for the rentrée is not only mind-boggling, it’s downright exhausting! As someone who has never really taken a summer break, either during my years as a teacher at the Alliance Française (it’s actually the busiest time of the year), or as a freelancer, or now as an entrepreneur, I’ve obviously never gone through the exercise of a rentrée as a working individual. So the idea of procuring a whole new wardrobe for the last month of summer not only seems ludicrous to me, but also smacks of rampant capitalism…something the French are always resisting! And isn’t all this frenzied spending a manifestation of capitalism?

But despite its rich tradition of socialist and leftist movements, France does operate within a capitalist global economy…and like any other economy in the 21st century, the country relies on capitalism to generate wealth and employment opportunities.

When you take a step back, and look at the larger socio-economic and cultural context, la rentrée almost seems to represent a sort of a microcosm of the broader paradox between certain anti-capitalist ideals and the realities of operating within a global capitalist world. And since we must live in this world, vive la rentrée !