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Humour as a Guerrilla Tactic: The West German Student Movement's Mockery of the Establishment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2007

Simon Teune
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Abstract

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A small group within the German student movement of the 1960s expressed its critique of society in humorous protests that condensed the urge for a non-materialist, individualistic, and libertarian change. In the early phase of an emerging cycle of protest, Spassguerilla [fun guerrilla] contributed to shaping the face of the student movement, despite differences with the more traditional groups within that movement. In happenings, pamphlets, and judicial trials, humorous activists derided conventional ways of thinking and living. A responsive environment played a decisive role in shaping the image of the insurgents, thus reinforcing the impact of their actions and drawing in sympathizers.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 52 , Issue S15 , December 2007 , pp. 115 - 132
Copyright
2007 Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis

Footnotes

I am indebted to the research group, “Civil Society, Citizenship and Political Mobilization in Europe” at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (Social Science Research Center Berlin) for a lively and fruitful discussion of an earlier version of this paper. I would also like to thank Andrew Tompkins for applying his linguistic skills to the original manuscript.