Symposium recalls impact of global revolution in 1968

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GRINNELL — 1968 . . . anti-war, anti-government . . . student protests . . . in Paris, Prague, Mexico City  and the U.S. Forty years later, the relevance of these international events will be examined during a week-long symposium, “1968: The Global Revolution,” on the Grinnell College campus next week. “Grinnell College is bringing together historical players and scholars to reflect on this defining year,” said David Harrison, director of Grinnell’s Center for International Studies and symposium organizer. “The symposium will draw parallels to today’s events, looking through the lens of global activities.” Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky, who wrote “1968: The Year that Rocked the World,” will deliver the symposium keynote on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. in Room 101 of the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center. Kurlansky will address “The Cause of the Global Combustion of 1968.” The 1968 symposium includes the following events: • Monday at 4:15 p.m. — Michel Wieviorka, a scholar of militant social movements and a participant in the French protests of 1968, will recall his student experiences in “Reflections on ‘May 68’ 40 Years Later.” Wieviorka is professor of sociology at the Paris School for Advanced Study in Social Sciences and president of the International Sociological Association.   • Monday at 8 p.m. — Alain Geismar, one of three key leaders of the Paris strikes, will discuss “A Very French May 68.” As general secretary of the National Union of Higher Education in 1968, Geismar was one of the key organizers of the movement that nearly toppled President Charles de Gaulle’s presidency. Geismar has since served in various positions in France’s Ministry of National Education. • Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. — German scholar and former student activist Klaus Kammerer will describe “The Role of the 1968 Student Protests in Forming Contemporary German Culture.” Kammerer was an activist at the University of Freiburg in the 1960s and later became a professor of political economy at the university. • Tuesday at 8 p.m. — “Prague, A Poem Reappearing: Remembering 1968” will be the topic of discussion for Michael Kraus, an expert in Russian and Eastern European politics. Kraus has been a regular contributor to both Czech Television and BBC World Service (Prague) to develop understanding of the modern Czech Republic. • Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. — Eric Zolov, associate professor of history at Franklin and Marshall College, will offer Latin American perspective in “Che Guevara’s Message to the Tricontinental: Cuba, Mexico, and the Crossroads of a New Left in Latin America.” Zolov is a specialist in Latin American history, culture, and politics and has written about national identity in Mexico in the 1950s through 1970s. • Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. — Douglas Hartmann, associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, will recall “The 1968 African American Olympic Protest Movement: Domestic Roots, International Reverberations.”  Hartmann studies race, ethnicity and immigration and recently wrote a book that explores the history behind the Black Power salute made by athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. • Thursday at 11 a.m. — Journalist Mark Kurlansky will deliver the symposium keynote on “The Cause of the Global Combustion of 1968.” Kurlansky wrote the best-selling account of the major events of 1968 “The Year that Rocked the World.” • Thursday at 4:15 p.m. — The symposium will conclude with a view of 1968 events in the U.S. Karla Jay, distinguished professor of English and women’s and gender studies at Pace University, will focus on the student uprisings at Columbia University. Jay was one of the leading figures in both the women’s liberation and gay and lesbian movements, which she chronicles in her memoir “Tales of the Lavender Menace: A Memoir of Liberation.” All symposium events will be in the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center, Room 101, located at 1115 Eighth Ave. on the Grinnell College campus unless otherwise noted. The Global Revolution Symposium is co-sponsored by Grinnell College’s Centers for International Studies, Humanities, and Peace Studies; the Departments of History,  French, and German; the Latin American Studies Concentration; the Diversity Steering and Convocation Committees; the Office of the President; and the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights.