The roots of participation in May ’68

Where do “68ers” come from and how did their experiences prior to May ’68 shape their activism? All the participants in this study were involved in one way or another in May ’68; however, they were not all involved in the same way, or for the same reasons. This chapter sets out to explore the determinants of their participation in May ’68, and to understand how their dispositions towards activism were formed in the years leading up to the events. It argues that the origins of this activism must be sought in the socialisation of these future militants (familial, educational,