ABSTRACT
THE ‘EVENTS OF MAY’ 1968 in Paris, initiated by students against conservative university policies, spread to workers striking for higher wages and better working conditions. Lenora Champagne captures its utopia-like atmosphere:
The events of the Barricades, where a festive spirit reigned and collective decision making and animated discussion took place; the formation of action committees which solved problems as groups and aided striking workers and their families; the instances of anonymous collective creation of wall posters […] — these provided the crucible of action where themes and structures of the May Movement could be tested. There was a briefly-lived Utopia, which took the form of an ‘anti- society’ or ‘counterculture’ opposed to existing social relations and proposing new ones.
(Sub-stance 18/19, 1977: 59)