The reintegration of late 1960s student activists

Includes bibliographical references.This thesis concerns the student turbulence of the 1960s. Its main focus is the process by which the movement toned down and those within it reintegrated into the mainstream of American life. In order to do this, it is necessary to present an historical summary of the movement tracing it back to its various origins over the decades preceding it. This helps in detailing how the various emphases of the movement changed over time and gives insights into reasons for the movement's apparent dispersal by 1973. Two segments of the student movement, the women's movement and the communal trend, are focused upon in order to discuss whether, in fact, the culture has undergone real change as a result of the movement. It is stated that the popularity of the women's movement is based on its support of, rather than contradiction to, the cultural system whereas communes, many of which espouse counter-cultural principles, gain only occasional publicity and are rarely able to survive. Materials both supporting and contradicting the thesis of this paper were obtained through interviews with people who had been active in one or more of the hundreds of official and unofficial groups and organizations associated with the movement. These interviews were held in the DeKalb, Illinois, area and on the North Side of Chicago as well, in the summer of 1977. Though most of the informants had attended Northern Illinois University during the movement, all had been in the midwest at the time, giving the materials a regional tint. Results of the interviews appear mainly in Section II. "Informants' Conclusions about the Movement." Interview material can also be found where it is pertinent in other chapters as well.M.A. (Master of Arts