Bricks, Railings, Umbrellas: A study of barricade lineage and practice in 2019 Hong Kong Part 2 Dissertation 2025 Alvin Lam University of Cambridge | UK This dissertation explores the alternative architectural practice of barricade construction, examining the persistence of barricades through the lens of Hong Kong’s protest movements. It seeks to offer insights into the recurring patterns and inherent limitations of urban protest since the onset of modernity, ultimately pointing toward possible alternatives. The essay emphasises the symbolic significance of barricades in protest dynamics, extending beyond their conventional defensive role. Through a historical survey of barricade use—from 16th-century France to 21st-century Hong Kong—the study reveals their cumulative nature, showing how protest strategies have been transmitted across time and place. Over centuries, the function of barricades has evolved from purely tactical devices to powerful symbols of resistance. Further, the dissertation investigates the dialectical relationship between gentrification and protest, focusing on the spatial choreography of barricades during the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations. It argues for the inseparability of material practice and collective identity, supported by ethnographic research involving barricade participants and poetry produced within the same context. This analysis underscores the interplay between protesters' political subjectivity and their actions, shaped by the material realities of barricade-making, as informed by contextual, technical, and historical evidence. Tutor(s) Maximilan Sternberg