The Inner Life of Politics: Grassroots Activism in West Germany, 1962-1983. Belinda J Davis (Rutgers University)
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Central
Book here (InnerLifeOfPolitics.eventbrite.co.uk)
What is the nature and timeline of political change and how should its success be assessed? And why do stories matter in grassroots politics?
Reading oral histories against the grain of conventional narratives, this history of grassroots activism in West Germany considers these questions in the context of that country's ''68ers.' Drawing together what are often perceived as discrete elements, such as the student and peace movements, Belinda Davis offers new understandings of political transformation, as activists sought to radically transform themselves as well as societal relations, through a politics that was profoundly personal.
While recent studies have challenged the achievements of these activists, Davis argues that their efforts made some forms of popular democracy mainstream, in the process redefining politics and rethinking the nature of representation, political organization, and notions of what is radical. This work contributes to a fresh take on West German politics and society in this post-fascist state, offering new understandings of where and how change takes place and how to enact it from the bottom up, with significant implications for our present.
Belinda Davis is Professor of History at Rutgers University (USA). She is author or coeditor of four previous books, including Social Movements after ’68: Selves and Solidarities in West Germany and Beyond (2026, 2022) and Changing the World, Changing Oneself: Political Protest and Transnational Identities in 1960s/70s, West Germany and the U.S. (2010). Her current book project is entitled “Apartheid Planet: An Environmental History of Europe and European Reach, 1500-2000”.
Contact Katy at RSHC for information (k.pettit@bbk.ac.uk)
Facilitated by the Raphael Samuel History Centre, a partnership between Birkbeck University of London and Queen Mary University of London.
Contact name: Katy Pettit
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