Against the Grain

West Germany and the Sixties

This year is the 50th anniversary of 1968, a stand in for the explosive movements of the 60s and 70s. Christina Gerhardt discusses those movements through a German lens, many of which exploded on the scene a mere decade and a half after the defeat of the Nazis and into a society deeply marked by fascism. She reflects on the rise of the New Left and the armed struggle group the Red Army Faction, and how the repression of the left paved the way for surveillance and the abuse of prisoners today.

Resources:

Christina Gerhardt, Screening the Red Army Faction: Historical and Cultural Memory Bloomsbury, 2018

Christina Gerhardt and Sara Saljoughi (eds.), 1968 and Global Cinema Wayne State University Press, 2018

1968 and Global Cinema Film Series

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