Amanda Schneider
Philosophy
408/Gilliland
28 November 2012
Paris 1968 Student Movement
Riots broke
out in France in May of 1968 because the French Communist Party was suspected
of plotting against the Republic (Frost). The movement began as various strikes by
students at high schools and colleges.
The protests at the University of Paris at Nanterre became so bad that
the University closed on May 2nd, 1968. Along with political changes, the French were
rebelling for cultural changes, too (such as education, sexual freedom, and
free love).
The Paris
1968 student movement relates to the poststructuralists because emotions and
drives motivated the movement. Emotions
were important during the Movement because the hierarchies in society made
students very angry. To communicate to
the students of that time, it was effective to appeal to their emotions because
their reaction demanded change in society by demonstrating their anger. The students rebelled against the imposed
limitations by rioting and not giving in to the patriarchal hierarchy. Sexual freedom and free love appealed to both
the students’ emotions and drives. The
hierarchy in society told the students that there were distinct roles in
society for each gender. Women who
wanted sexual freedom went against the “normal” roles and pursued what she
really wanted to (such as a career), even if it was traditionally a “man’s
job.” Also, with the spread of birth
control and contraceptives, women were able to ensure their future by being
able to have sex without getting pregnant.
Also, sex was no longer only for making babies; a couple could have sex
solely for pleasure.
Derrida’s notion of deconstruction
applies because the students identified and challenged the political and social
hierarchies. Such challenges consisted
of not being a wage slave to one’s employer.
The quote, “the bosses need you, you don’t need them,” demonstrates
external reading because it is disrupting the boss-employer hierarchy by
arguing that the dominant term is also dependent on the marginalized one
(Frost). Also, women fought for jobs
equal to men. Due to birth control, a
woman could be hired by a company and ensure that the company would not lose
profit because she was at less risk of getting pregnant; therefore she would
not have to take time off or leave due to pregnancy.
Another popular slogan of 1968 was, “read
less, live more.” This quote encouraged
students to live life and realize that life was not found in a book, rather
from experience. Poststructuralists
embraced chaos, and life is often chaotic.
Life was especially chaotic in 1968 because of the riots and protests. Students involved with the protests had an
especially exciting life because they did not know what the future held for
them or their cause. Reading books was
not going to fix the problems in France, nor does it build effective
leaders. Only learning from life’s
experiences will prepare one for future hardships in life.
Aporetic logic applies to the 1968
student movement because it characterized the paradoxical and unstable
relationship between the universal and singular. The government and imposed status quo “norms”
were the universal, and the students were the singular. Without the singular, changing the universal
would be impossible because if no one is there to challenge who/what already
has power, those who have power want to keep power and will not be lowered
unless the singular challenges them. The
employers lowered their boss’s power and women lowered the amount of power a
man had over them.
Derrida’s
concepts of deconstruction and aporetic logic applied to the Paris 1968 Student
Movement. The students, women, and
workers recognized the social and political hierarchies in society which they
no longer wanted to follow. Riots and
protests were conducted against the government to disrupt inequality by
demanding equal pay, free love, and education reform.
Works Cited
Frost, Martin, “French
Riots May 1968”, 2012
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