Histoire des luttes environnementales et du capitalisme

What does “lutter contre” / “une lutte” mean in French?

When the French talk about a cause — saving the planet, workers' rights, racism — they use “lutter” and “une lutte.” Here the speaker says “les luttes environnementales”: the environmental struggles. “Lutter contre” means to fight against something, and “lutter pour” means to fight for something. It is most often about a cause, not a physical fight between people (for that, French uses “se battre”). You see “la lutte” every day in French news headlines and protest signs.

In the clip: “se réinscrire dans cette filiation peut nous donner des ressources et de l’énergie pour continuer à lutter, pour préserver le milieu aujourd’hui” — “becoming part of this line of history can give us strength and energy to keep fighting, to protect the environment today.” And “les luttes environnementales” = “the environmental struggles.” “Lutter” comes from Latin “luctari” (to wrestle). That old meaning is still there: “la lutte” is also the sport of wrestling. In modern news and politics, “une lutte” means a social or political struggle, and “lutter contre / pour” means to fight against / for a cause. Careful: for a real fist-fight between people, French usually says “se battre,” not “lutter.” And “combattre” feels more like fighting an enemy or a disease. “Lutter” carries the sense of a long, hard effort that is difficult to win. Everyday examples: “la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique” (the fight against global warming), “la lutte des classes” (the class struggle), “lutter contre les inégalités” (to fight inequality).