Overview

For over forty years now, the French events of 1968 have been the focus of much attention both within France and beyond. While mai 68 is certainly seen as a watershed in the development of French society, a common narrative that portrays it in an increasingly reductive light has become prevalent. In fact it is less and less portrayed as the very serious nationwide crisis and largest strike in French history but more as a bon-enfant tantrum led principally by a spoilt generation of Parisian students intent on wreaking havoc during a period of much required - and today much longed for - political and economic stability. 2008 saw a continuation in the decennial commemorations that have been fundamental in shaping the doxa and thus furnished an excellent opportunity to assess any developments in how these events are represented, perceived and remembered.

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9780708324172

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Reviews

'An imaginative and richly sourced challenge to narrow, Paris-centred accounts of May '68. A fine contribution to the historiography' Professor Robert Gildea, University of Oxford, Professor of Modern History 'Chris Reynolds updates perspectives on May 1968 by way of an overdue concentration on the events in the provinces, along with a reassertion of the generally underestimated importance of reformist elements. May as spectacle is cogently demystified here, in a study that provides a significant and thoroughly-documented corrective to more glamorised views and representations.' Professor Keith Reader, University of Glasgow, Professor of Modern French Studies '... this is a significant book that needs to be read by everyone who, like it or not, works in the 'May 1968 industry'. Daniel A. Gordon, Edge Hill University, for Modern and Contemporary France Journal

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Chris Reynolds is Senior Lecturer in French and European Studies, Nottingham Trent University

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