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The ‘68 Disobedient Generation’ and the Rise of ChiVirLa

  • Mike Gane
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Abstract

This chapter problematizes the notion of a single ‘disobedient generation’ as an explanatory concept applied to the 1960s student rebellions. Autobiographical accounts by activists reveal considerable heterogeneity of experience and reflection. There were social movements both to the left and to the right which this concept tends to mask. It is suggested that the idea of a ‘disobedient generation’ functions as a myth. The politics of the student rebellions in the USA and the UK are analysed, and as part of the narrative three different reactions are identified: neoconservative, liberal, and neoliberal (ChiVirLa). The long-term neoliberal ‘stealth revolution’ is identified as an on-going continuation of economic thought of the 1960s provoked by the bubble of student radicalization, and its consequences (marketization as a means of control) are to be seen in the universities today.

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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mike Gane
    • 1
  1. 1.Loughborough UniversityLoughboroughUK

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