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For activists in West Germany, politicization often began in childhood. This was frequently followed by decades of intense political engagement, in myriad forms and venues, insisting on the free and democratic values their post-fascist country was supposed to embody. Through oral histories of fifty-five West German activists, this study explores how individuals became and remained politicized. Belinda Davis examines the diverse lived experiences of these activists, highlighting how social change took place both through protest and in the building of alternatives. In doing so, this study challenges conventional portrayals of 'the student movement' and of the ''68ers' and reveals the critical role of activists' experiences across decades, locations and venues. At a moment when we once again face challenges to democracy and peaceful political expression, this historic engagement offers valuable lessons on the achievements of grassroots politics, emphasizing just how personal is the political.
List of contents
List of figures; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Part I. Coming to Politics: 1. A story of politics; 2. Family life and the confrontation with change; 3. New lessons: Childhood and politicization beyond the family; Part II. Speech Acts: 4. Speech, the self and (civil) disobedience; 5. Impediments to speech; 6. Speech/acts: whose terror?; Part III. 'It was Another World': Sites of Difference, Belonging and Participation: 7. The city: dreamscape, surfaces, interiors; 8. Sites of higher education: toward an 'informed activism'; 9. Sites of action: organization and movement; Part IV. 'Life Artists': Thinking Other/Creating Other: 10. WGs: Experiments in clean living?; 11. 'Be practical: demand the impossible'; 12. Challenging boundaries and 'Besserwisser'; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
About the author
Belinda J. Davis is Professor of History at Rutgers University. She is the author or co-editor of four books, including Social Movements After '68 (2022) and Changing the World, Changing Oneself (2010). Davis was a full-time community organizer before her academic career and has been interviewed for CNN, France 3 television, and Fortune magazine, among others.
