If one leafs through the book “Springtime: The New Student Rebellions,” s/he cannot resist the temptation of reading it. It has an extensive collection of photo essays that show what happened recently. The flashbacks in midst of the essays, written during and within the movements of the past (like France '68), by authors like Eric Habsbawn, Fritz Tuefel, Ernest Mandel, Vittorio Riesser, Andre Glucksmann and Angelo Quattrochi show what had happened earlier. Together with the essays, articles and reports it shows, ‘this has happened, this is happening and this will be happening, till…’
Books of this sort have been published in the past but what makes this book unique is its time of publication and the multiple perspectives it presents against capitalism. At this time when there are talks of “end of history,”, “there is no alternative” and anti-capitalism ridiculed in circles of so called academics and intellectuals that have constructed and taken over the ideological problematic of the people of the world, this books comes as a spear to shatter the subversive problematic into pieces. For the forced blind by the media, it comes as light. It shows how flesh and blood can instrumentalise ‘networking,’ electronic media and even create new media. Most importantly it shows, itself included, what can be done at war time and in the war zone.
The book is divided into six parts explicating the six contemporary movements. In the first part that deals with the student protests of UK in November-December, 2010 contains articles by known and, more importantly, unknown figures of the resistance movement. Every article is within the scope of the movement but each gives particular perspective to see it. The first essay by University of London Union President, Clare Solomon, shows how distorted images of students’ zeal on the day of the Millbank Towers were presented by the media and the brutalities of police on students. James Meadley’s essay is an attempt to locate the (cause of) student rebellion in the British economic policies. Kanja Sassay deals with the issue of racism through an engagement with the issue of black students. Ashok Kumar shows the transformation of the London School of Economics into a site of student revolt. Nina Power, a senior lecturer reveals of threats that she had been receiving from Scotland Yard Police for supporting the movement. Her article also deals with the commodification of education. Susan Matthews, parent of a student injured in the protest shows her solidarity with the movement a la, what she calls, ‘Blake’s hackneyed image in a new way.’ Hesham Yafai shows how the movement was able to place itself within larger struggles like those in Gaza and elsewhere. Peter Hallward, in his article, shows how the students had acted in discipline and restraint till the containment operations by police began. John Rees’ article is a theoretical contribution to the book. Elly Badcock writes how the students’ movements of 2009 of SOAS Universities against Israili atrocities was an useful experience that enabled the2010 protests to tak up the right tactics. James Haywood stresses on the explosive spontaneity of the Millbank protests. Jo Casserly, in her essay, “the art of occupation,” shows her vigilantism against the bureaucratization of the movement and poses that occupations are not an end in themselves. Jody McIntyre gives a first hand report of her experience from the 'thrashed' headquarters(she is someone who went up the building in a wheelchair; her article is called “My wheelchair is the beginning.”)on the day of action. A short piece by four teenage, college going students(Adam Toulmin, Kaity Squires, Stuart O’Reilly and Adam Toulmin) show their illusions of the State and University being welfarist, shattered. Amy Gilligan reports what happened in Cambridge throughout the movement. In the end of this section, there is a list of links to websites which show videos of the protest movement.
The second section is a collection of a number of previously published essays and a few new ones on the demonstrations in Italy. Contributors include Guilio Calella, Marco Bascetta and Benedetto Vecci; Giacomo Russo Spena, and Elisa Albansi (a letter to Berlusconi), who deal with political economy contextualizing the demonstrations. First hand reports of demonstrations follow thiese. Apart from the pieces by individuals, there are a few interesting pieces by collectives. The ‘Book Block,’ presents a narrative of the emergence of the movement and its ways of propaganda that included holding large sized placards looking like books. It also gives a recipe of how to make such books and photographs of students holding the book-placards. The ‘Autonomous University Collective,’ gives a meaningful insight of the “Black Block.”
The third section is on protests in California. Introduced by Evan Calder Williams, a writer, theorist and a doctoral candidate in literature from Santa Cruz University California; followed by a chronology of events it shows potentialities that are not made apparent by the bourgeois ideologues. The section has a collection of essays by anonymous people and by collectives. The first essay explicates how ‘the student’ has been in a process of subsumption whose realization comes in ‘the terminus of student life.’ There is the statement from the occupation of Graduate Students Commons, UC Santa Cruz; and statement from of Campbell Hall UCLA. These statement to speak for and about themselves. Then there is an essay which its anonymous author titles, “the beatings will continue.” Written in 18 October 2009, following the occupations of UCSC Humanities II, this piece gives importance to militancy by students to sustain their ‘rights.’ Then there is ‘the anti-capitalist projects: Q &A’ which is presented by its author in the form of questions that include ‘why occupations?’ etc, and his answers to them. The section ends with an ‘assessment’ of a movement UC from within the movement showing the brutal face of authorities. Jose Laguarta, President of Peurto Rican Association of University Professors(APPU) gives a narrative of the movement, its problems and prospects.
The fourth section deals with the revolts in France from May, 1968 through and to 2010. It includes essays by Sebastian Budgen, Richard Greeman, Lea Guzzo and Larry Portis.
The fifth section has articles/essay from the revolts in Greece, from 2006 to 2010. Spyros Dritsas, now a Resident Physician in Surgery was a member and spokesperson of Coordination of Students’ Unions General Assemblies and Occupations in 2006-2007. Georos Kalampokaswas also a member of the same during 2006-2007. Together they give an elaborate narrative of the ‘stage becoming unstable.’ Ilias Kafelas, Eirini Giatanou write about the period of 2010. Panagiotis Sotiris writes about economic crisis, and education as a site of struggle. This is followed by a section called ‘the movement speaks for itself,’ where various students’ associations and Unions write their perspectives of the movement.
The last sections deals with the anti-authoritarian movement in Tunisia aimed at overthrowing the Ben Ali regime. Leila Basmoudi, a painter; Toufik Ben Brik, a journalist and writer; Moncez Marzouki, author of Dictateurs en suris; Sadri Khiari, an activist exiled under Ben Ali write against the authoritarian regime of Ben Ali that had support of US and French State. Yasim Temlali, an Algerian writer and researcher, writes how the socio-economic grounds of the Tunisian and Algerian revolts of 2011 had a logical unity. More on Algerian movement is written by Omar Kitani, an activist and supporter of Aboishion ofTthird World Debt Committee. Yassin Temlani, an Algerian researcher, writes of dangers that loom over the movement. The section ends with Amin Allal’s open letter to all.
The postscript of the book by Adam Shatz , written at the time when, Mubarak regime was facing troubles why his fall was desirable and most probable. Well, today we know what happened to that regime. The paradoxical incompleteness of the book shall progressively disturb those subjugated throughout the world.
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