Summer Of Love 55

About

SUMMER OF LOVE 55 refers to the sociocultural phenomenon that took place in the summer of 1967. In the U.S. and all over the world, 1967 also saw the first major political protests by young people against the war in Vietnam. At the same time, the outburst of new popular and subcultural music was one of the defining features of the SUMMER OF LOVE:
 
If you're going to San Francisco,
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
If you come to San Francisco,
Summertime will be a love-in there.
(Scott McKenzie, 1967)
 
Summer of Love draws attention to an era when both the concept of politics and love possessed a real sense of urgency. It was an era of civil disobedience, of antiauthoritarianism, of political protest and "flower power". Political activism translated into socio cultural activism, alternative lifestyles (sexual freedom, communes, shared property). 
 
Belgian philosopher Raoul Vaneigem imagined a new society that "promotes the participation of everyone in the self-realisation of everyone else", based on "creativity, love and play". In today's regressive climate of fear and xenophobia, Vaneigem's thesis seems ever more pertinent.
 
There was hope for a new and different world, filled with love and mutual understanding. There is perhaps something to be learned if we reflect on this period and compare it to the individualistic and competitive era of today.
(quoted after Katerina Gregos)