Situationists: reading guide

Libcom.org's reading guide to the Situationists, a revolutionary Marxist group who wrote extensively on culture and were highly influential on the events of May 1968 in France.

Submitted by Ed on November 2, 2012

Key texts

Key people and groups

  • Situationist International - Libertarian Marxist group whose ideas heavily influenced the events of May 1968 as well as those of non-Leninist revolutionaries for years to come.
  • Guy Debord - Writer, filmmaker and founding member of the Situationist International.
  • Raoul Vaneigm - One of the most prominent members of the Situationist International.

Other recommended texts

Situationist-influenced texts

Other media

Comments

Martin O Neill

11 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Martin O Neill on November 3, 2012

Perhaps the most accessible introductions to situationist ideas where the Spectacular Times pamphlets produced by Larry Law in the 1980s. I wouldn't be surprised if they can still be found in a corner of Freedom or Housmans bookshop or at an anarchist bookfair. Interestingly Larry Law, before he died, joined the anarcho-syndicalist Direct Action Movement claiming that the Situationists had stolen all their ideas from the anarcho-syndicalists in the 1950s, although I have never seen any source material for this claim.

There was also the situationist influenced Vague magazine around the same time. The person who produced the magazine was highly critical of Larry Law for only making situationist ideas available to a political ghetto. Vague gradually became less political and more glossy and was available in Virgin Megastores, which seemed to miss the point about what the Situationists were saying about radicals producing more capitalist commodities and how the the recuperation of radical ideas by capitalism works.

Martin O Neill

11 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Martin O Neill on November 3, 2012

Some Spectacular Times do appear to be available online.

klas batalo

11 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by klas batalo on November 3, 2012

There should be a ppt/pdf online somewhere that is a good intro thing for a presentation.

hschultze

11 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by hschultze on November 4, 2012

here are several situationist / situationist-inspired / etc texts on pdf. Situationists times are online somewhere, but I'm having trouble re-finding them. One of these days I"ll put them up on this site, though.

http://1000littlehammers.wordpress.com/situationist/

klas batalo

7 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by klas batalo on June 10, 2016

https://libcom.org/library/introduction-situationists-jan-d-matthews