Remembrance of Strikes Past

Here's an image from the massive strike and demonstration of January 2009. Our Spring students were able to witness one of the singing particularities of French culture, the protest reflex. The carnavlesque nature of this photo does not really capture, however, the real anguish of the workers on the march. Normally, there's chanting and hooting. This demonstration was particularly quiet. And, as you may know, the university strike continued on right up to the 9th week of the Spring 2009 semester, making it necessary for us to propose alternative courses at the Critical Studies program, including one that took the Strike of 2009 as its subject matter, "University and Society in Today's France".

Just as a note, one of the concerns about the upcoming swine flu pandemic has to do with people not being able to get to work. If France really starts coughing, experts predict a worker-absentee rate of 40%, which would be paralyzing for any nation's economy, were it not for the fact that France, due to our striking strikes, is always already ready for such a labour slow-down.

Stay well. Be creative. Change everything.