May events .281968.29 Situationist International

the situationists played preponderant role in may 1968 uprisings, , extent political perspective , ideas fueled such crisis, providing central theoretic foundation. while si s member count had been steadily falling preceding several years, ones remained able fill revolutionary roles had patiently anticipated , prepared. active ideologists (“enragés” , situationists) behind revolutionary events in strasbourg, nanterre , paris, numbered 1 or 2 dozen persons.

this has been acknowledged fact studies of period, still wide open interpretation how , why happened. charles de gaulle, in aftermath televised speech of june 7, acknowledged explosion provoked groups in revolt against modern consumer , technical society, whether communism of east or capitalism of west.

they made majority in occupation committee of sorbonne. important event leading may 1968 scandal in strasbourg in december 1966. union nationale des Étudiants de france declared in favor of si s theses, , managed use public funds publish mustapha khayati s pamphlet on poverty of student life. thousands of copies of pamphlet printed , circulated , helped make situationists known throughout nonstalinist left.

quotations 2 key situationist books, debord s society of spectacle (1967) , khayati s on poverty of student life (1966), written on walls of paris , several provincial cities. documented in collection of photographs published in 1968 walter lewino, l imagination au pouvoir.

those followed artistic view of si might view evolution of si producing more boring or dogmatic organization. following political view see may 1968 uprisings logical outcome of si s dialectical approach: while savaging present day society, sought revolutionary society embody positive tendencies of capitalist development. realization , suppression of art developed of many dialectical supersessions si sought on years. situationist international of 1968, world triumph of workers councils bring these supersessions.

though si small group, expert self-propagandists, , slogans appeared daubed on walls throughout paris @ time of revolt. si member rené viénet s 1968 book enragés , situationists in occupations movement, france, may 68 gives account of involvement of si student group of enragés , occupation of sorbonne.

the occupations of 1968 started @ university of nanterre , spread sorbonne. police tried take sorbonne , riot ensued. following general strike declared 10 million workers participating. si participated in sorbonne occupations , defended barricades in riots. si distributed calls occupation of factories , formation of workers’ councils, but, disillusioned students, left university set council maintenance of occupations (cmdo) distributed si’s demands on wider scale. after end of movement, cmdo disbanded.