1968 and Its Legacies

1968 and Its Legacies

An Event Series Exploring the Global 1968 and Why It Still Matters

Fifty years ago, the uprising of May ‘68 shook French society to its foundations. Part of a globe-spanning rebellion stretching from Berkeley to Beijing, from Tokyo to Tunis, from Turin to Tashkent, the French May challenged capitalism and imperialism while proclaiming the possibility of a utopian transformation of everyday life. Poignantly, ’68 was also the year of Martin Luther King’s tragic assassination, sparking widespread riots across the United States in parallel to the events in France. The reappearance of the ghost of social revolution in the historic birthplace of the ideas of 1789 and the Paris Commune captured the radical imagination in a way hardly matched at the time or since. What remains of this challenge fifty years on?

Situating May ’68 within its larger context, events and exhibits in this series examine the unique staying power of the French events in historical memory while considering the relevance of the Global 1968 today. Read more about the series.

Upcoming Events

No Events

X