ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case studies of the longue duree, from the thirteenth century to 1968, and explores diverse European geographical areas, extending through France, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. The oldest and most widespread form of collective action is probably the suspension of teaching: Protest within the university meant professors ceased to teach, and students boycotted their lessons. In the faculty of medicine of Paris in 1908, teachers were violently interrupted and chased outside the classroom. The medieval right of suspension of lectures was transformed in the twentieth century into the strike. Investing urban space is another form of collective action for scholars that goes back to the Middle Ages and continues to the twenty first century. The streets were taken over by the students, where they faced violence with the police, the city inhabitants, or rival groups. In Bologna in 1672, the Spanish College students attacked those of the Montalto College over a question of precedence.
