Abstract

The work interprets the political significance of the May 1968 conflict in Paris in opposition to the
legitimacy of traditional readings on this event. Thus, based on the political theory of Hannah Arendt
and the reflections of Kristin Ross on the worker-student movement, the idea is proposed that "May
68" had a unique political value that transcends the determination of its "failure" as revolution. This
involves, simultaneously, the questioning of narratives and representations upon which the
structure of power in the modern state is regularly conceived. In the experiences of concerted
political action, self-management and "participatory democracy", the “French 68” revitalizes the
understanding of elementary political phenomena such as popular authority or consent.