May '68 and its afterlives

By Kristin Ross

Subjects: Collectief geheugen, Politics and government, Riots, france, France, politics and government, 1958-, HISTORY, Politique et gouvernement, Mei-beweging (1968), Geschiedvervalsing, Politieke aspecten, Émeutes, Riots

Description: "During May 1968, students and workers in France united in the biggest strike and the largest mass movement in French history. Protesting capitalism, American imperialism, and Gaullism, 9 million people from all walks of life, from shipbuilders to department store clerks, stopped working. The nation was paralyzed - no sector of the workplace was untouched. Yet, just thirty years later, the mainstream image of May '68 in France has become that of a mellow youth revolt, a cultural transformation stripped of its violence and profound sociopolitical implications.". "Kristin Ross shows how the current official memory of May '68 came to serve a political agenda antithetical to the movement's aspirations. She examines the roles played by sociologists, repentant ex-student leaders, and the mainstream media in giving what was a political event a predominantly cultural and ethical meaning."--BOOK JACKET.