"Prairie Power, " a superb collection of oral histories from the
1960s, focuses on former student radicals at the University of
Missouri, the University of Kansas, and Southern Illinois
University. Robbie Lieberman presents a view of midwestern New Left
activists that has been neglected in previous studies.
Scholarship on the sixties has been shifting from a national
focus to more local and regional studies, but few authors have
studied the student movement in the Midwest. Moreover, the
characterization of prairie power activists as "long-haired,
dope-smoking anarchists" who were responsible for the downfall of
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) has not been challenged
directly. While still viewing these activists critically, Lieberman
argues that midwestern students made significant contributions to
the New Left in the latter half of the decade, and that their
efforts were not only important at the time but also had a lasting
impact on the universities and towns in which they were active.
The author begins by explaining "prairie power" and establishing
its significance in the history of 1960s protest. She then presents
the oral histories in three parts. The first section reveals what
"prairie power" meant to national leaders of SDS who were regional
organizers in the Midwest. The second section of oral histories
gives insight into the backgrounds, concerns, and activities of
local leaders from the three universities who were homegrown
midwestern activists. Lieberman shows that while the national
leaders take credit for organizing on several college campuses, the
local activists often felt that they were on their own.
The third group of oral histories--from grassroots activists--is
what most sets this book apart from previous works on the student
New Left. These are students who joined demonstrations on their own
campuses but did not necessarily identify with either local or
national organizations. Their rarely heard voices help provide a
better understanding of who participated in the student protest
movement, why they were involved, and how their activities
profoundly affected their lives for years to come.
"Prairie Power" makes a significant contribution toward a more
comprehensive history of student activism in the turbulent
1960s.
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