November 8, 2025

Symbolism 1-3-1-2: An Autoethnographic Poem of Protest and Solidarity

Key Points

Autoethnographic inquiry embraces the aesthetics of protest, blending personal experience with collective struggles.
The poem highlights the role of symbolism, particularly the code 1312, in the context of social movements.
Reflective practices inform artistic expression, merging education with political activism, particularly in times of economic crisis.
This work contributes to the field by positioning poetry as a means to capture heightened emotional experiences within protests.

Abstract

The poem Symbolism 1-3-1-2 emerges from my reflective experience as both witness and participant within the wave of demonstrations in Indonesia in 2025. The protests were triggered by deepening social inequality, particularly when members of the national parliament (DPR-RI) proposed to raise their monthly allowances amidst an economic crisis. Public anger intensified, expressed through mass protests, state repression, and the appearance of the code 1312 in graffiti as a mantra of resistance. Through ethnographic poetry, I bring together my personal experience and the collective wound, bridging my private sphere as an educator with the turbulence of public political life. By combining autoethnography and poetic inquiry, this text is not only an aesthetic expression but also a research method that captures emotional intensity, global solidarity, and the politics of representation. This work positions poetry as an ethnographic artifact, extending autoethnographic practice in exploring the aesthetics of contemporary protest.

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