Following the convulsions of 1968, one element uniting many of the disparate social movements that arose across Europe was the pursuit of an elusive “authenticity” that could help activists to understand fundamental truths about themselves—their feelings, aspirations, sexualities, and disappointments. This volume offers a fascinating exploration of the politics of authenticity as they manifested themselves among such groups as Italian leftists, East German lesbian activists, and punks on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Together they show not only how authenticity came to define varied social contexts, but also how it helped to usher in the neoliberalism of a subsequent era.

“The Politics of Authenticity raises a number of meaningful—and provocative—interpretive questions, which makes it valuable reading for students of postwar social movements and countercultures, as well as those seeking to understand the recent history of democratic cultures and political participation in Europe.” • Central European History

“This is one of the most distinctive and inspiring explorations of protest cultures that I have read in the last decade or so. While building on existing studies of social movements, it is original in its geographical breadth, diversity of topics and methodologies, and theoretical approach.” • Malgorzata Fidelis, University of Illinois at Chicago

“The innovative studies collected here contribute to important discussions within contemporary history. This book will be very useful for both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as scholars in history, sociology, and other fields.” • Pascal Eitler, Max Planck Institute for Human Development

Joachim C. Häberlen is Assistant Professor of Continental European History at the University of Warwick. He has previously coedited a theme issue on emotions in protest movements for Contemporary European History (2014) and published numerous articles.