Between the Avant-garde and the Everyday: Subversive Politics in Europe from 1957 to the Present(6 Protest, Culture & Society)

The wave of anti-authoritarian political activity associated with the term “1968” can by no means be confined under the rubric of “protest,” understood narrowly in terms of street marches and other reactions to state initiatives. Indeed, the actions generated in response to “1968” frequently involved attempts to elaborate resistance within the realm of culture generally, and in the arts in particular. This blurring of the boundary between art and politics was a characteristic development of the political activism of the postwar period. This volume brings together a group of essays concerned with the multifaceted link between culture and politics, highlighting lesser-known case studies and opening new perspectives on the development of anti-authoritarian politics in Europe from the 1950s to the fall of Communism and beyond.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Detlef Siegfried Introduction Timothy Brown and Lorena Anton PART I: AVANT GARDES Chapter 1. Gruppe Spur: Art as a Revolutionary Medium during the Cold War Mia Lee Chapter 2. In Pursuit of the Invisible Revolution: Sigma in the Netherlands, 1966-1968 Niek Pas PART II: SPECTACLES Chapter 3. “The Brigade is Everywhere.” Violence and Spectacle in the British Counterculture Samantha Christiansen Chapter 4. Corpse Polemics: The Third World and the Politics of Gore in 1960s West Germany Quinn Slobodian PART III: SOUNDS Chapter 5. Communist Youth Groups and Rock Music in Greece in the late 1970s Nikolaos Papadogiannis Chapter 6. The Voice of the Other America: African-American Music and Political Protest in the German Democratic Republic Michael Rauhut PART IV: SUBCULTURES Chapter 7.From England with Hate: Skinheads and “Nazi Rock” in Great Britain and Germany Timothy Brown Chapter 8. Punk Jihads: Immigrants, Sub-Cultures and Political Violence 1955-2001 Alexander Clarkson PART V: SPACES Chapter 9. Red State, Golden Youth: Student Culture and Political Protest in 1960s Poland Malgorzata Fidelis Chapter 10. In the Shadow of the Wall: Urban Space and Everyday life in Berlin Kreuzberg Carla MacDougall PART VI: NETWORKS Chapter 11. Between Confrontation and Frivolity? Gender and Militancy in the Czech Alter-globalisation Movement Marta Kolarova Chapter 12. Protesting Bodies and Bodily Protest: A plea for a ‘thinking through the body’ in Social Movement Research Andrea Pabst Chapter 13. Post-Modern Protest? Minimal Techno and Multitude Andrew Lison Notes on Contributors Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Timothy Brown is Associate Professor of History at Northeastern University. He is the author of Weimar Radicals: Nazis and Communists between Authenticity and Performance (Berghahn, 2009). He is currently writing a monograph entitled 1968: West Germany in the World (Cambridge, 2013).

Review :
“The book engages important and intriguing questions about culture and politics and makes a contribution to contemporary history. The essays fit together well, with a nice trajectory that includes a chronological element. The topics engaged are generally “fresh” and new, but I was also impressed by the rich historiography.” • Jonathan Petropoulos, Claremont McKenna College “This volume presents many new insights into a subject that has not yet been analysed systematically enough. It therefore represents an important contribution to the history of subcultures and will no doubt have a considerable influence on the scholarly debate on this topic.” • Detlef Siegfried, University of Copenhagen