Re-envisioning society: the radicalization of the student youth movement in Mexico during the 1960s

Abstract

Utilizing documents from student organizations including strike committees, the National Center For Democratic Students, and the writings of young activists, official commentary, and press releases, this study provides a detailed examination of the student movement in Mexico during the 1960s. Within the historiography of the student youth movement studies tend to focus exclusively on 1968 and the movement\u27s position within the global counterculture. The product of this history is the proliferation of a homogenous understanding of the concerns mobilizing youth activists. This study however, attempts to advance previous historiography by expanding the scope of the student movement to include more broadly the 1960s. This allows for a greater understanding of the forces that radicalized students, illustrating that student activism was driven by educational, economic, social, and political concerns, including access to jobs and social mobility, demands for social welfare, and the creation of more equitable and democratic society. This gained understanding further challenges histories centered on delineating the movement as purely cultural or purely a political movement. Rather, when examining the diverse concerns radicalizing students, this study illustrates the interconnection between both political and cultural characteristics of youth activism

    Similar works