France — a New Kind of Rebellion

It all began in Nanterre. Those who were surprised by the events of May 1968 would do well to visit the spot where the conflagration broke out. There, between a shantytown perched on a low plateau and low-cost housing developments, extends a great wasteland of empty lots and newly plowed fields. This is the surrounding of the “university complex,” the lecture halls, residence halls, and annexes— buildings without style, set amidst one of the most sinister urban landscapes imaginable. There is not a single cafe, bistro, or restaurant in the area, nor a single park; only Nanterre with its suburban homes, its factories, shantytown, and sad-looking housing projects.

Paris, of course, is not far away. But how to get there...