Time to Stir: Columbia '68

In 1968, Columbia University students occupied five buildings to protest a gymnasium in a Harlem park, links between the university and the Vietnam War, and the university's unresponsive attitude toward their concerns. A Time to Stir captures the reflections of those who participated in and witnessed the Columbia rebellion, shedding light on the politics, passions, and ideals of the 1960s. It presents the perspectives of black students, women, and the complicated legacy of the uprising, reflecting the sense of possibility and excess that characterized the 1960s.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 29 December 2020
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In April 1968, a series of student protests took place at Columbia University, where students occupied five buildings on campus to voice their opposition against a planned gymnasium in a nearby Harlem park, the university's ties to the Vietnam War, and what they perceived as the university's indifference towards their concerns. The protests, which were exhilarating to some and deeply troubling to others, paralyzed the university and garnered international attention, inspiring similar uprisings across the country.

Fifty years after the events, A Time to Stir: Reflections on the Columbia Rebellion, a collection of essays from participants and witnesses of the Columbia rebellion, provides a comprehensive account of the politics, passions, and ideals of the 1960s. With over sixty essays from members of the Columbia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the Students Afro-American Society, faculty, undergraduates who opposed the protests, "outside agitators," and members of the New York Police Department, the book offers a diverse range of perspectives.

Moving beyond accounts from the student movements' white leadership, A Time to Stir presents the perspectives of black students, who were grappling with their uneasy integration into a supposedly liberal campus, as well as the views of women, who began to question their second-class status within the protest movement and society at large. The book also delves into the complicated legacy of the uprising, exploring how it inspired some to dedicate their lives to social causes while others saw it as the precursor to the chaos that would soon engulf the left.

Taken together, these reflections present a nuanced and moving portrait that captures the sense of possibility and excess that characterized the 1960s. The Columbia rebellion remains a significant moment in American history, a testament to the power of student activism and the determination of individuals to fight for social change.

Weight: 638g
Dimension: 143 x 221 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231182751