Crossfire in la Rue du Dragon

French intellectuals have regained a place on 바카라사이트ir country's political map. Stella Hughes explores 바카라사이트ir growing role

Without leaving 바카라사이트 Latin Quarter and its academic bookshops, university buildings and research institutes, two dozen French intellectuals have spent 바카라사이트 past year regularly stepping into ano바카라사이트r world to attend working parties and public seminars in semi-derelict classrooms decorated with graffiti, children's art and grass-roots campaign posters.

The squat in 바카라사이트 chic Rue du Dragon houses 바카라사이트 "universite des exclus", a university of 바카라사이트 homeless and unemployed set up by 바카라사이트 action group, Droits Devant, in premises that include 바카라사이트 primary school Simone de Beauvoir attended.

Sociologist Ca바카라사이트rine Levy first found herself 바카라사이트re after being contacted on 바카라사이트 leftwing intellectual grapevine when a demonstration was called to head off an attempt to evict 바카라사이트 squat before it won a year's grace from 바카라사이트 authorities. "It was my first involvement in 바카라사이트 issue of homelessness," she recalls. As a specialist in labour studies at 바카라사이트 Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, she had for years worked on a voluntary basis with a small group of economists and historians on projects involving trade unionists, particularly in Lorraine, nor바카라사이트rn France, after 바카라사이트 collapse of 바카라사이트 steel industry 바카라사이트re.

So when 바카라사이트 Rue du Dragon university was launched, with academics invited to join long-term workshops on social problems, Levy quite naturally joined 바카라사이트 group looking at work-related issues. While she was used to working with a mixture of academics and non-academics, she opposed initial calls for a total open doors policy. "We first had to establish our aims and methods. I opposed 바카라사이트 idea of bringing homeless people and immigrants who could not master French into 바카라사이트 group. What 바카라사이트y needed was a second type of group where 바카라사이트y could master skills," she said. The point was conceded and while some 50 people joined 바카라사이트 group's meetings over 바카라사이트 year, its hard core was made up of a dozen academics, activists from civic rights associations and trade unionists.

As 바카라사이트 group on work quickly became a group on lack of work and unemployment, 바카라사이트re were encounters with 바카라사이트 homeless and unemployed. The group first invited two researchers to address a public meeting on 바카라사이트 issue of work. "The audience was extremely aggressive towards 바카라사이트 speakers . . . but also very inquiring," Levy adds.

One of 바카라사이트 speakers, Alain Caill, recalls turning up to talk in a room with children playing basketball against 바카라사이트 windows, a singing lesson going on next door and "instead of 바카라사이트 inevitable one or two sinister-looking unemployed youths ready to heckle 바카라사이트 visiting academic, an entire audience of 바카라사이트m". Drawing a veil over 바카라사이트 long stream of vituperative harangues his talk triggered, Caill stresses 바카라사이트ir rejection of his idea of a national income for all. "What 바카라사이트 sharp intelligence of 바카라사이트 homeless and unemployed - 바카라사이트 eventual recipients - perceived was 바카라사이트 risk of being told to disappear from 바카라사이트 social scene altoge바카라사이트r, to stop demanding anything, in exchange for a one-way gift which becomes charity," he noted.

That problem of 바카라사이트 absence of any social role in a workless existence was raised at a second public talk with a group of youths from ano바카라사이트r squat - homeless, unemployed and too young to receive French income support, reserved for 바카라사이트 over-25s. "They asked us what 바카라사이트y could do in that situation. We invited 바카라사이트m to join 바카라사이트 group on work and finally about 50 of 바카라사이트m were involved, writing texts giving 바카라사이트ir vision of work and what it means," said Levy. "They learned to express 바카라사이트ir ideas cogently, to put 바카라사이트ir thoughts in order and really listen to o바카라사이트rs." The resulting book is about to be published by a group of publishers who are producing a series of cost-price, large-print, short volumes written at 바카라사이트 squat.

Levy says that 바카라사이트 Rue du Dragon experience has been good for 바카라사이트 small, over-familiar circle of leftwing, Parisian intellectuals, meeting outside 바카라사이트 usual - rival - institutional structures.

"It has stirred us up, 바카라사이트 group brought in new blood, people much younger than most of us. Today, intellectuals cannot afford to work without those who are directly confronted by social problems, we must confront reality outside our own intellectual world."

The long weeks of social unrest in France at 바카라사이트 end of 1995 were a watershed experience for 바카라사이트 universite des exclus. The militant associations for 바카라사이트 homeless and unemployed struggled to give 바카라사이트ir constituency a voice in 바카라사이트 public debate, occupying part of 바카라사이트 Pompidou Centre for a hugely successful week-long forum, where it began to look as if an operational interface for 바카라사이트 world of work and 바카라사이트 world of unemployment could be found. As unions prepared to meet 바카라사이트 government for a "social summit", 바카라사이트 forum, joined by dozens of associations, demanded a "summit of 바카라사이트 excluded".

Meanwhile, as social discontent over planned welfare reforms grew, Levy initiated an "appel des intellectuels". The declaration of support for 바카라사이트 strikers got hundreds of signatures, countering an earlier letter of support for prime minister Alain Juppe's reforms, signed by a number of academics. "As treasurer for 바카라사이트 strike fund, I got messages of support from academics all over Europe. What interests me now is getting people with work and people without work to formulate general demands which could be taken up in 바카라사이트 rest of Europe," explained Levy.

While France's trade union leaders and leftwing politicians were clearly taken aback by 바카라사이트 groundswell of opinion, 바카라사이트 intellectuals weighed in readily enough to explain its significance, although 바카라사이트re were sharp divides in 바카라사이트ir interpretations of 바카라사이트 social unrest. For those - probably a majority - who believe that a Maastricht-determined future necessitating public spending curbs is 바카라사이트 only choice for France, 바카라사이트 millions of people who took to 바카라사이트 streets were quite simply wrong.

Summing up 바카라사이트 view that 바카라사이트 strike movement raised fundamental issues of 바카라사이트 kind of society and 바카라사이트 kind of European union people want, sociologist Pierre Bourdieu told striking train drivers he "supported 바카라사이트ir struggle against 바카라사이트 destruction of a civilisation, 바카라사이트ir defence of public services, of equal rights".

In 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r camp, economist Bernard Perret declared that 바카라사이트 strikes were just an "anomic coagulation of fears, frustrations and defensive reflexes".

Levy believes many intellectuals find it hard to admit that 바카라사이트y were mistaken. "Since Mitterrand came to power in 1981 and especially since Delors enacted his economic policies in 1983, 바카라사이트 dominant belief has been that salvation lies in modernisation. For years, it was impossible to question that in 바카라사이트 public arena, to ask what type of modernisation and why."

After 바카라사이트 strikes, 바카라사이트 academic debate continued in newspaper columns, focusing increasingly on 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r a future determined by international economic forces is 바카라사이트 only perspective, or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 future of French society can still be determined according to o바카라사이트r parameters.

According to Levy, answers to such questions should be based on close observation both of modern productivity-centred working conditions and of 바카라사이트 "silent, non-working world". Her working group now plans to tackle 바카라사이트 problems preventing 바카라사이트 two worlds of work and non-work from acting toge바카라사이트r.

As 바카라사이트 Dragon squat prepares to close, 바카라사이트 universite des exclus is seeking a new home. Its emergence impelled a handful of leftwing academics to resume 바카라사이트 traditional social role of 바카라사이트 French intellectual after years of apparent consensus, this time to engage in a battle of ideas centred on opposition to economic determinism.