Synopses & Reviews
The means by which people protestand#8212;that is, their repertoires of contentionand#8212;vary radically from one political regime to the next. Highly capable undemocratic regimes such as Chinaand#8217;s show no visible signs of popular social movements, yet produce many citizen protests against arbitrary, predatory government. Less effective and undemocratic governments like the Sudanand#8217;s, meanwhile, often experience regional insurgencies and even civil wars. In Regimes and Repertoires, Charles Tilly offers a fascinating and wide-ranging case-by-case study of various types of government and the equally various styles of protests they foster.
Using examples drawn from many areasand#8212;G8 summit and anti-globalization protests, Hindu activism in 1980s India, nineteenth-century English Chartists organizing on behalf of workersand#8217; rights, the revolutions of 1848, and civil wars in Angola, Chechnya, and Kosovo to name a fewand#8212;Tilly masterfully shows that such episodes of contentious politics unfold like loosely scripted theater. Along the way, Tilly also brings forth powerful tools to sort out the reasons why certain political regimes vary and change, how the people living under them make claims on their government, and what connections can be drawn between regime change and the character of contentious politics.
This is an ambitious and fascinating work by a master thinkerand#8212;one that reveals, perhaps for the first time, the predictability of contentious politics. To foresee the shape and magnitude of protest and rebellion in any nation, Tilly shows, one merely needs to understand the nature of its regime.
Review
and#8220;In
Regimes and Repertoires, Charles Tilly is at his inventive and wide-ranging best. Tilly takes us into the minds of rulers and rebels to examine how their opportunities and choices have shaped each othersand#8217; actions. Using a simple but powerful theory of regime types and a rich array of historical and contemporary cases, he provides fresh new explanations for the variation in modern political struggles, from peaceful protest to genocide and terrorism. This small book bursts with big ideas.and#8221;--Jack Goldstone, George Mason University
Review
"This book will be invaluable to any doctoral students or researchers interested in the contentious area of political and conceptual study."
Synopsis
The means by which people protest—that is, their repertoires of contention—vary radically from one political regime to the next. Highly capable undemocratic regimes such as China’s show no visible signs of popular social movements, yet produce many citizen protests against arbitrary, predatory government. Less effective and undemocratic governments like the Sudan’s, meanwhile, often experience regional insurgencies and even civil wars. In
Regimes and Repertoires, Charles Tilly offers a fascinating and wide-ranging case-by-case study of various types of government and the equally various styles of protests they foster.
Using examples drawn from many areas—G8 summit and anti-globalization protests, Hindu activism in 1980s India, nineteenth-century English Chartists organizing on behalf of workers’ rights, the revolutions of 1848, and civil wars in Angola, Chechnya, and Kosovo to name a few—Tilly masterfully shows that such episodes of contentious politics unfold like loosely scripted theater. Along the way, Tilly also brings forth powerful tools to sort out the reasons why certain political regimes vary and change, how the people living under them make claims on their government, and what connections can be drawn between regime change and the character of contentious politics.
This is an ambitious and fascinating work by a master thinker—one that reveals, perhaps for the first time, the predictability of contentious politics. To foresee the shape and magnitude of protest and rebellion in any nation, Tilly shows, one merely needs to understand the nature of its regime.
About the Author
Charles Tilly is the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, Contention and Democracy in Europe, 1650and#8211;2000 and Stories, Identities, and Political Change.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. What Are Regimes?
2. How Regimes Work
3. Repertoires of Contention
4. Repertoires, Meet Regimes
5. Trajectories of Change
6. Collective Violence
7. Revolutions
8. Social Movements
9. Conclusions
References
Index