The World Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America

Critical Perspectives on the Past

by Van Gosse, Richard Moser (Contributor)

How can we make sense of the fact that after decades of right-wing political mobilizing, the major social changes wrought by the Sixties are more than ever part of American life? This collection of essays treats the last quarter of the 20th century as a distinct period of US history and rebut popular accounts that emphasize a conservative ascendancy. Tracing the ways in which US culture and politics continue to be shaped by the legacy of the New Left's social movements - from feminism to gay liberation and black power - these essays demonstrate that the America that emerged in the 1970s was a radically democratized nation.

348 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Van Gosse is professor of history at Franklin and Marshall College.

Reviews

[Sarah Nolan]

This collection was not exactly what I was hoping for—many of the essays are actually about the 70s, 80s and 90s, and how the radical politics of the 60s are not necessarily in a state of decline. I get the focus on the “afterlife” of the 60s given the title, but there was little attention to the roots being placed in the 60s. It just felt a bit unbalanced given the intention of the collection.