Is a ‘Social Movement Society’ the Way to Win Democracy?
The Right is attacking liberal democracy. The neoliberal Center is gutting it. What can the Left do about it? Donatella della Porta has an idea.
SIXTIES STUDENTS Simon Fraser (4): The Student Power Council Wins Parity
On May 30 1968, Simon Fraser students elected an openly left-wing student power slate to most of the seats in the Summer 1968 Student Council. The radical Council was thrust immediately into a mass mobilization of the student body, to raise eight demands for a full-scale democratization of the University (by rewriting the provincial Universities Act) and to vote for a student body moratorium on classes. They did this to support faculty who were seeing signs of a politicially-motivated purge of ‘troublemaker’ professors. They backed the demand of the left-led Faculty Union for Board acceptance of an Academic Freedom and Tenure brief.
SIXTIES STUDENTS Simon Fraser (3): The Board Walk-In
On March 1 1968, a delegation of students elected earlier that day at a general student body meeting ‘walked in’ to a closed Board meeting. They presented two briefs and a petition that all future Board meetings be open. Most of the students did not trust that fair decisions would be made behind closed doors. Many were worried that purges of faculty who were left-wing, or just different, were underway.
