Revisiting the Global and Local Upheavals of 1968

Abstract

1968 was a year of momentous global revolt against elites in both East and West. This article argues that 1968 is noteworthy not so much for the events of 1968 in themselves, but for helping spawn or revive a broad variety of movements which continue to have wide-ranging repercussions today. This was particularly the case in Aotearoa where, by global standards, events in 1968 were tranquil, yet a prolonged spike in dissent developed afterwards during the long 1970s. Some contend that 1968 was an individualist and cultural revolt that sowed the seeds for neoliberalism. This article argues that such an interpretation neglects the strong collective, socialist, working class, and anti-colonial dimensions of 1968 and beyond. Neoliberalism was more of a reaction to 1968 than its product.