Reviewing May 1968: The wider lenses of the cultural review

Recent research has demonstrated that ‘1968’ was a widespread, transnational group of phenomena that took different forms in various geographical locations, and whose repercussions are still being felt and interpreted today. The aim of this special issue is to investigate whether, and how, reviews were affected by their contexts, and if they contributed to influencing the course of events. The volume argues that continuities and distinctions between reviews in different national contexts emerge in the ways in which the cultural and the political develop from the late 1950s to early 1970s. Comparison reveals distinctions between reviews, and also demonstrates how features of cultural periodicals shed light on their contexts: their frequently international outlook; their critical response in lieu of a mission to report; the mid-twentieth-century material conditions of their production; their suitability for bringing together the arts; and the benefits offered, and challenges posed, by rapid publication. The volume will also go some way towards highlighting those groups whose participation in moments of change has been underrepresented, thereby helping to challenge perceptions of who participated in protest events and contributed to the publishing landscape of the time.