ABSTRACT
However flawed 1968 was, it engenders the need for continuity, a continuity of being socially engaged, of feeling part of common world citizenship, a solidarity with others that makes the future seem less ominous, lighter. As unserious, or even ridiculous, as it looked to its critics, 1968 meant energy, action, hope, and festive anarchism. It is that mixture of seriousness, irony, and fun that irritates its detractors. The intimate nature of the 1968 rebellion—almost a family affair—responds to the criticism that it was not serious, that it was not a revolution. The author feels that 1968 was a great breakthrough. It domesticated the world. It democratized relations between generations, paved the way for new types of family, gave birth and brought forth new humanities, ended Marxist utopianism, turned us to some more moderate goals.
