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OverviewEric Hobsbawm claimed that the international May Day, which dates back to a proclamation in 1889 by the Second International, `is perhaps the most ambitious of labour rituals'. The first international May Day demonstrations in 1890 were widely celebrated across Europe and became the one day each year when organized labour could present its goals to the public- an eight-hour workday was the first concrete demand, shortly followed by those for improved working conditions, universal suffrage, peace among nations, and international solidarity. The May Day ritual celebration was the self-assertion and self-definition of the new labour class through class organization, thus it was trade unions and social democratic and socialist parties throughout Europe which took the initiative and have sustained May Day as a labour ritual to this day. Part I of this theoretically-informed volume explores how May Day demonstrations have evolved and taken different trajectories in different political contexts. Part II focuses on May Day rituals today. By comparing demonstration level data of over 2000 questionnaires from six countries-Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK-the reader is able to gain a thorough understanding as to how organizers, and most importantly, the participants are bestowing meaning to May Day rituals. By concluding with reflections on the future of the May Day ritual in Western Europe this ground-breaking book provides a detailed analysis of its evolution as a protest event. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Abby PetersonPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd Imprint: Ashgate Publishing Limited Edition: New edition ISBN: 9781472415295ISBN 10: 1472415299 Pages: 320 Publication Date: 28 May 2016 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Electronic book text Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsReviewsAuthor InformationAbby Peterson University of Gothenburg, Sweden and Herbert Reiter, European University Institute, Florence. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |