May Made Me
An Oral History of the 1968 Uprising in France
Oral testimonies from the creative, violent and ground-shaking events in France, May '68.
The mass protests that shook France in May 1968 were exciting, dangerous, creative and influential, changing European politics to this day. Students demonstrated, workers went on general strike, factories and universities were occupied. At the height of its fervour, it brought the entire national economy to a halt. The protests reached such a point that political leaders feared civil war or revolution.
Fifty years later, here are the eye-opening oral testimonies of those young rebels. By listening to the voices of students and workers, as opposed to those of their leaders, May '68 appears not just as a mass event, but rather as an event driven by millions of individuals, achieving a mosaic human portrait of France at the time.
This book reveals the legacy of the uprising: how those explosive experiences changed both those who took part, and the course of history. May Made Me will record these moments before history moves on yet again.
Fifty years later, here are the eye-opening oral testimonies of those young rebels. By listening to the voices of students and workers, as opposed to those of their leaders, May '68 appears not just as a mass event, but rather as an event driven by millions of individuals, achieving a mosaic human portrait of France at the time.
This book reveals the legacy of the uprising: how those explosive experiences changed both those who took part, and the course of history. May Made Me will record these moments before history moves on yet again.
Mitchell Abidor is a writer and translator living in Brooklyn, USA. Amongst his many works, he is the author of May Made Me (Pluto, 2018) and the translator of Jean Jaures's A Socialist History of the French Revolution (Pluto, 2015).
'These powerful and moving testimonies create an eye-opening account of the inspiring events of May '68, which are more relevant for today's activists than ever before' - Paul Mason
'Strongly recommended' - Chartist
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Timeline of Events in 1968
1. Introduction: May '68 Revisited
2. Veterans in the Struggle
3. Students in Paris
4. May Outside Paris
5. May and Film
6. Some Anarchists
About the Author
Abbreviations
Timeline of Events in 1968
1. Introduction: May '68 Revisited
2. Veterans in the Struggle
3. Students in Paris
4. May Outside Paris
5. May and Film
6. Some Anarchists
About the Author
Published by Pluto Press in Feb 2018
Paperback ISBN: 9780745336947
Hardcover ISBN: 9780745336985
eBook ISBN: 9781786802149
Hardcover ISBN: 9780745336985
eBook ISBN: 9781786802149
272 pages
135mm x 215mm