Au propre comme au figuré : la transposition urbaine de l’espace contestataire lyonnais des années 68

Abstract

Geographical metaphors (field, arena, sector, space, etc.) are mobilised in political sociology to describe dynamics internal to activist microcosms. The article relies on the case of the extreme left in Lyon during the post-May 68 years, to go beyond the metaphor to analyse how those dynamics are expressed in the urban space. Struggles for the appropriation of space between rival organisations and the contribution of activists’ implantation to the transformation of the identity of some districts are especially studied.

Keywords

• extreme left
• May 68
• spatial appropriation
• space of social movements