WhentheSpectacleContinuesBackstage

TherearetwoHistoriestheofficialHistory,whichlies,andistaught,andthesecretHistory,wheretheveritable causesofeventsare,ashamefulHistory.(LostIllusionsHonordeBalzac) Afterhavingstruggledformonthsagainsttheinequityofthesocialdistributionofeconomiccapital,ithasbecome clearthatthestrugglemustfromnowonalsocontinueontheterrainofotherformsofcapital:symbolic,cultural, political.ItisthetimetowriteHistory,layingthefoundationsofthelegitimacyofaccountsthatalreadyjostleeach other,gently,ofcourse,inabookstorenearyou.OrattheLiond'Or,siteofthelaunchofFromSchooltotheStreet: BackstageontheStudentStrike,abookcowrittenbyPhilippethierandRenaudPoirierSaintPierre,elected respectivelyontheexecutivecommitteeofASSCLASSE,andpressattachonthemediacommitteeofthelatter. Howdidtheydoit? Accordingtoitsauthors,theobjectiveofthebook,whosebirthwecelebratetoday,istodisseminatethedifferent practicesputforthduringthestrikesuchthattheycanguidefuturegenerations.Differentdebatesandinternal conflictswerevoluntarilyerasedtoproducethemostconsensualaccountpossible.Dowereallyimaginethatwhat saidfuturegenerationsneedisaheapofgeneralities,afactualchronologyofevents,andtheirtechnical organization?Inordertoavoidrepeatingthesameerrorsandtopermitasoundpoliticization,itistothecontrary essentialtodisplaythecontradictions,theimpasses,andtheinternalconflictsthatmarkedthestrike. Butthisvoluntarysilenceisnotafirst.Insidethestrikemovement(before,during,andafter),criticalapproaches wereforthemostpartdevalued.It'sthenthatthis"consensual"productionisdisturbinginthatitisbuiltonthe concealmentofideologicaldebatesbetweenpoliticaltendencies,debatesthatbecamesodifficultanddisturbing. Fromthedifferentperspectivesthatweoccupiedduringthestrikeof2012,itisimpossibletoadvancea consensusaroundmechanismsthatworkedwelltobuildamassmobilizationandastructurethatsupportsand feedsit.ThesetofreflectionsandanalysesconcerningthepoliticalpracticesofCLASSEthattheauthorspresent, basedontheirspecificpositioninthemovement,isnotneutral.Itresultsfromaselectiveoperationthatretains andtiestogetheraverythinfragmentofreality:thatofthevictorswhotodaypublishandprivatizetheiraccountof thestrike,withcosocit[1]. Theviolenceofa"consensual"history Insilencingthepluralityofpoliticalrealities,thelivedsuffering,andthestrategiesofinternalrepressionofdifferent politicaltendencies,theauthorsfeedandencouragethepropagationofacriticalpracticeswithinthemovement. Quietinginitiativestotransformhistoricalsocialrelations(ofgender,ofclass,ofrace)isafundamentallyviolent position. OnlyonepageofthebookisdedicatedtothefeministprinciplesofASSCLASSE,onepagethathardlyhastime totakeupthewidelydocumentedmassresignationsfromtwocommitteesforwhichtheprincipalmotivewasthe reproductionofrelationsofpower.ThebookdoesnottelluswhyattheonlyfeministdemonstrationofCLASSE almosteveryonewasarrested.NeitherdowelearnhowPhilippethierandGabrielNadeauDuboisaskeda memberofaCLASSEcommitteetoresignandtoconcealherinvolvementwhenshefacedcriminalcharges. Neitherpresentedarethefeministcritiquesthatwereaddressedtotheirexecutiveteam.Infact,the"feminism" sectionissoconsensualthatitnolongerbearsalmostanyresemblancetotheexperiencesoffeministactivistsin thestrike.Howeveritisamongotherstheirinitiativesthatmadeitpossibletogivelifetothestrike,tomobilize people,toorganize,tomakesuretomakeitmoreinclusive.Theyarekeyactorsbehindthestageofthestrike,a backstageofoccasionalturbulencebetweenactivists. Inbrief,theauthorsfoughtontheirownside,atopthepyramidthattheybuilt.Itisnotonlytacticaldisagreements

thatwehavewiththem,butratherprofoundtensionsbetweentwodifferentmodesofstruggle.Butcanwereallybe surprisedthatawomen'sHistorywrittenbymensoundsallwrong?Wearenotthefirsttosayit:consensual Historyisaviolenthistoryoftheprivileged,wherediscordantvoicesdonothaveaplace. "Cestunbeauroman,cestunebellehistoire"[2] Inthebooktheabsenceofacultureofresponsibilityandofcriticalpoliticalapproachestopracticesandobjectives hastheconsequenceofparticipatinginthemythologizationoftheauthors.Aroundtheirheroicpersonsis constructedanauraofindividualstrengthturnedintothenecessarytokenofthecapacitytoactpoliticallyonthe world.Forthatmatterthebook'snumerousromanticizedscenes(likethatinwhichthevaliantwarriorsofCLASSE, armedwiththeirwalkietalkiescrsshcrsshareinspiteofthemselvesfoundinaharrowingbutohsoheadyrace againsttheclocktoprovidethemediawithacountofdemonstratorsbeforetheSPVM)participatesignificantlyin thisoutoftouchrepresentationoftheactors.Developingareadingofone'sinvolvementinthestrikeasbeing profoundlyandstructurallypartoftheproblemseemstobeperceivedasincompatiblewiththeheroicizationof progressivepoliticalengagement:onecouldnotatoncebepartoftheproblemandwanttocontributetoits resolution.Whenissuesareshiftedinthiswaytowardpoliticalpracticesandtheirconsequencesonthelivesof others,weareaccusedofcontributingtoadepoliticizationbornofaChristiancultureofculpability.Or,evenbetter becausesopoignant,wearechargedwithpoliticalintolerance.Ifthequestionsandcritiquesoffeminists,based ontheideathattheprivateispolitical,amongothers,constitutepoliticalintoleranceandinterruptthefeelingof moralintegrityandauthenticitythatcertainactivistsfeel,thensobeit.Wethinkit'sabareminimumifwewantto transformsocialrelations. "CLASSEisliterallydisruptingthenaturalorderofthings"(Thebookinquestion) It'snoteveryonethatcanproduceabooklikethisone.Itrequiresnotonlyhavingcontactsandthenecessary resources,buthavingthefreetime.ThattwowhitemalememberselectedinthestructuresofASSareableto submitamanuscriptcleansedoftheseconflictsisnotanaccident.Theirprivilegedpositionallowsthemtowrite aboutthestrikeasselfproclaimedspecialistsandbyappropriatingthetechniquesoforganizationofthisstrike thatarebasedasmuchonthememoryandpracticesofgenerationsofactivistsasonvariedexperiencesof selforganization.Bythecirculationoftheirvisionofhistoryasbeingconsensualandhomogeneous,theauthors placethemselvesabovealltheactivistswhoarefullyactorsofthemovement,andwholackthesparetimetowrite abookthatrecountstheirvisionofhistoryaccordingtotheirplace,equallyofinterest,inthestrike.Behindthe consensualideaofthebook,itisthevoicesandthelegitimacyofallthosepersonswhicharecrushedbythe levelingofadissensusvitaltoanypoliticalmanifestationthataimsatlife. Inthisdynamic,itisonlytheauthorswhowinwhowinnotoriety,symboliccapital,andtheimpositionoftheirvision throughtime(andincidentallysincetheyaresellingtheirbook).TheHistorythatfreezesitselfintimeandspaceis completelystandardizedsothateverythingthatwaslivedmayfitintothewelldelimitedcompartmentsthatthe authorsimposeonus.Let'snotforgetthatthechoicesofcontentinthistypeofbookhaveanimpactonwhatwill beretainedofthehistoryofthisstrike.Itappearstousessentialtobringupalloftheissuesaroundthe differentiationbetweenthetreatmentsgiventoabookthatpresentsaconsensualanalysisandtothewritingsthat presentaconflictualanalysis.Ineffect,thereexistnumerousworksthatdeveloponthethemeofconflictsinside ASSCLASSE,buttheywillneverbegiventhedistributionandtherespectthatthisbookenjoys.Thedistributionof writingsfromafeministperspectivecriticalofthefunctioningofASSCLASSEhasevenbeeninrecentyearsan importantpoliticalissue.Indeed,itisinterestingtonotethattheuniformvisionofFromschooltothestreetclashes violentlywiththereflectionsintheaccountsproducedbyadiversityofactivists,inviewofthe2013orientation congressofASS:http://orientation.bloquonslahausse.com/.Thus,theirpresentedmagicalrecipeforobtaininga largemovementisamodelthatisbleached,wrungout,dried,completelyemptiedofitspluralcontextandofthe powerdynamicsthatexistedattheheartofthestudentmovement.

Fromtheimageofthestriketothestrikeoftheimage Thisformulastartedtocirculateduringthestrikeonthetonguesofthosewhorapidlyrealized,withbitternessand anger,thatCLASSEwaslosingitsfootingandsuccumbingtothepetitschefsbackstage.Atthetime,thespotlights wereonGabrielNadeauDubois,butmanywerealreadydenouncingthespeecheswrittenbythoseotherthanthe starofthespectacleofthestrike.Today,thecamerasturnbackstageandfilmincloseuptheinsolentstrings hangingstilljustabovethecleanbutrumpledshirtsofthedearGND. Bythiscritique,werefuseahomogeneousvisionofHistoryandofthecogsofevents.Theprivilegeofliterary productionmustnotbeconsideredtheauthorizedandneutralvisionofthestrike.Tothecontrary,therichnessof experiencesandinternalconflictsisessentialtoadynamicunderstandingandtoawillofinclusionofdifferent practicesandideas. Goingthroughmainstreamchannelstotalkaboutastrikethattheytriedatallcoststorendermainstream:there's nothingsurprisinghere.Maywenotbeattributedbadintentions,wearenotplayingthegameoftheindignant.But evensoweapplaudthecoherenceandweunderstandtheperseverance:havingworkedrelentlesslytomakeof thestrikeaspectacle,now'snotthetimetoletup! Otherstrikers CamilleAllard JeanneBilodeau DominiqueBordeleau VanessaGauthierVela VanessaMercier IrasLandry FannyLavigne MichellePaquette CamilleTremblayFournier YasmineDjahnine JulieBruneau

[1]AprogressiveQuebecpublishinghouse. [2]A1972lyricbyFrenchsingerMichelFugain.