May '68 and its afterlives

250 Pages·2002·1.212 MB·English

by  Kristin Ross

MAY '68 AND ITS AFTERLIVES

M A Y '6 8
AND ITS AFTERLIVES
KRISTIN ROSS

the university of chicago press • chicago and london
KristinRossisprofessorofcomparativeliteratureatNewYorkUniversity.Sheisauthorof
FastCars,CleanBodies:DecolonizationandtheReorderingofFrenchCulture(1995)andThe
EmergenceofSocialSpace:RimbaudandtheParisCommune(1988).
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Ltd.,London
©2002byKristinRoss
Allrightsreserved.Published2002
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
11100908070605040302 12345
ISBN:0-226-72797-1(cloth)
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Ross,Kristin.
May’68anditsafterlives/KristinRoss.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-226-72797-1(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Riots—France—Paris. 2.France—Politicsandgovernment—1958– I.Title:
May1968anditsafterlives. II.Title.
DC412.R672002
944'.36—dc21 2001052762
(cid:2)(cid:2)ThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsoftheAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciences—PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSIZ39.48-1992.
Formymotherandfather

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
ONE
ThePoliceConceptionofHistory 19
SociologyandthePolice 19
Matraquage 27
AlgerianFrance 40
TWO
FormsandPractices 65
TheCritiqueofSpecialization 65
“VietnamIsinOurFactories” 80
EnteringtheTiger’sLair 90
TheIllusionsofRepresentation 113
THREE
DifferentWindows,SameFaces 138
ReprisalsandT rials 138
Anti-Third-WorldismandHumanRights 158
PhilosophersonTelevision 169
FOUR
ConsensusandItsUndoing 182
ListofAbbreviations 217
Bibliography 219
Index 233
vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The idea for a book like this came originally from Adrian Rifkin, who
urgedmetowriteit,butwhoshouldn’tfearthathewillbeheldrespon-
sibleforwhatIhavedone.Iamgratefultohim,DonaldReid,AliceKap-
lan, Fredric Jameson, and writing group members Molly Nesbit, Anne
Higonnet,MargaretCohen,andGloriaKuryfortheirsupportattheearly
stages of the project. Jean Chesnaux, Jean-Louis Comolli, Paol Keineg,
AnnetteMichelson,AndrewRoss,MichelTrebitsch,StevenUngar,and
Jay Winter each offered helpful research tips at crucial moments. My
thankstoDenisEchard,toAdrianagain,andtoJonathanStrongfortheir
careful,criticalreadingsoftheentiremanuscript.
MyresearchforthisprojectreceivedthegeneroussupportoftheJohn
Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Hu-
manities, and New York University. I am also indebted to the Institute
for Advanced Study in Princeton for a fellowship year that allowed me
to write much of the book in a congenial and stimulating environment,
while giving me access to the resources and assistance of a dedicated li-
brarystaff.InFrance,IreceivedgracioushelpfromthestaffattheBDIC
inNanterre,theCentredeRecherchedel’HistoiredesMouvementsSo-
ciauxetduSyndicalisme,ISKRA,andtheInstitutd’HistoireduTemps
Présent.Myeditor,Su sanBielstein,andhercolleaguesattheUniversity
ofChicagoPressresponsiblefortheproductionofthebookhavebeena
pleasuretoworkwith.
Fortheirintellectualenergy,generosity,andenthusiasticcommitment
to the project, my deepest gratitude goes to Harry Harootunian, Alice
Kaplan, and Joan Scott, each of whom not only read the entire manu-
script,butseveraldraftsalongtheway.Theirconversationandcritique—
and their example—made me consider things I had been avoiding, and
reconsidersomeofthecertaintiesIhadthoughtself-evident.ToHarry,a
fellow-traveler,specialthanksforhiscompanyandforgoodtimeswhile
I researched and wrote the book. To B. and W., your absence helped as
muchasyourpresence!
Finally,I’dliketodedicatethisbooktoaseriousreader,AnitaBrown
Ross,andtoWalterRoss,aseriouswit.
ix