The Utopian Years? Radical Left movements in the France of Pompidou (Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré Chris Warne (University of Sussex)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism The character of the movementThe character of the movement Legacies of the movementLegacies of the movement

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971) « Chacun est concerné par cette affaire qui n’est pas un fait isolé puisqu’elle s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une politique générale de répression. Actuellement, le fait d’être jeune, de porter des cheveux longs constitue pour la police une présomption de culpabilité. » Committee for the Defence of Gilles Guiot

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971) Richard Deshayes (photo: Gerard-Aimé)

Sit-in, boulevard St-Michel « Un soleil de printemps, musique improvisée, slogans, sandwiches partagés quolibets au flics; “Nous on est assis, pas vous”… Le soir on apprend l’acquittement de Guiot. Satisfaction de la victoire mais tristesse de se séparer : pendant quatre jours on a vécu autrement ensemble. » Actuel, March 1971 (Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971) –Pierre Overney (February 1972) The shooting of Pierre Overney

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971) –Pierre Overney (February 1972)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The emergence of high school student activism The emergence of high school student activism –“L’affaire Guiot” (February 1971) –Pierre Overney (February 1972) –“La loi Debré” (March-April 1973) Michel Field « un antimilitarisme latent – ou tout au moins, le sentiment que le service militaire est devenu inutile – semble bien imprégner les mentalités des jeunes » Gérard Vincent Le peuple lycéen (1975)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity « une forte proportion de lycéens est prête à se rapprocher de la petite minorité politisée en cas de « moment chaud » provoqué par une action « adulte » perçue comme une agression contre « le peuple des jeunes » Gérard Vincent Le peuple lycéen (1975)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation Sit-in, Cherbourg (photo: Michel Briegel) « Ceux qui dirigent le mouvement, ce sont les lycéens et uniquement eux … Les lycéens contrôlent de A a Z leur lutte: certains sont militants d’organisations politiques, d’autres non» Michel Field Le Monde (March 1973)

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation –“Counter-cultural” themes Charlie Hebdo

L’Entonnoir, Lille (Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation –“Counter-cultural” themes

Poster, Lycée Condorcet (photo: Danielle Guardiola) (Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation –“Counter-cultural” themes

Lycée Condorcet (photo: Danielle Guardiola) (Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation –“Counter-cultural” themes

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré The character of the movementThe character of the movement –Youth solidarity –Wide scope of the movement –Autonomy –Tactics and organisation –“Counter-cultural” themes –“Just wait until they get to the university”

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré Legacies of the movementLegacies of the movement –The constraints of the calendar

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré Legacies of the movementLegacies of the movement –The constraints of the calendar –The post-68 lycée

(Mis)reading youth activism in 1970s France: the case of the lycéens against la loi Debré Legacies of the movementLegacies of the movement –The constraints of the calendar –The post-68 lycée –“La planète des jeunes” (Duvignaud)