Springtime is not over!
With the new academic year approaching, Verso's anthology on the 2010 student movement, Springtime, gains further attention in the British press. In the Tribune, Ian Sinclair reviews the book, describing it as "an exciting mixture of eyewitness accounts, sharp analysis and pages of tweets and photo essays."
Sinclair points out that Springtime revolves around "two clever narrative devices" that make the book stand out. On the one hand, it pairs twenty-first century student protest with the events and the protagonists of the era of youth radicalism par excellence—1968. On the other, by juxtaposing different national cases, Springtime sheds light on the political core of the student mobilization:
Comparing and contrasting student rebellions in California, France, Italy, Greece and North Africa, some common points of experience emerge. The widespread police brutality strongly suggests the police are not a neutral force in service to all of society but are there to protect the interests of the government and the establishment. It is clear the central threat to higher education across the industrialised world is neo-liberal politics.
According to Sinclair, Springtime is not just the document of a glorious, yet bygone, season; it is also note of hope for those who are frustrated by the present stalemate in the British student movement:
Springtime is a valiant and sometimes impressive attempt to mark the revival of anger and protest that will influence the political landscape for years to come. And while the British student movement seems to be at a low ebb currently, its voice will no doubt be heard again as resistance to the coalition's austerity measures increases, as it surely will.
Visit the Tribune to read the review in full.