AI Flashcards Lecture 10
What is the focus of Lecture 10 on Violent Protest?
Examining collective violence from the perspective of social movement studies, exploring explanations for violence during protests, and analysing the consequences of both protester and state violence.
What are some definitions of collective violence used in the lecture?
Riot, public disorder, spontaneous collective violence, collective non-institutional violence, and violent protest.
According to Frantz Fanon, what is the role of violence in anti-colonial struggles?
Fanon argues that violence is inherent in colonial power and exploitation, and decolonization is inherently a violent process. He believes the colonised have a right and duty to use violence, as it is a liberatory force that unifies the people.
How does crowd psychology explain violence during protests?
Crowd psychology, as proposed by Le Bon, views protest violence as reflexive and irrational, attributing it to the emotional contagion of crowds. This perspective reduces emotions to biological impulses and contrasts them with rationality.
How do early social movement studies differ from crowd psychology in explaining protest violence?
They view protest as rational, arguing that violence and disruption can be used strategically. These studies focus on opportunities and costs as factors influencing protest violence.
What is the J-Curve hypothesis, and how does it explain violent protest?
Proposed by J.C. Davies, it suggests that violent protest is most likely when a period of rising expectations and gratifications is followed by a sharp reversal, creating a gap between expectations and reality that becomes intolerable. This frustration leads to violent action.
What are some criticisms of the J-Curve and relative deprivation theory?
They assume a direct link between individual frustration and collective violence, neglecting interactional dynamics and the role of emotions like anger in mobilization.
What is political opportunity theory, and how does it explain social movements and protest violence?
Developed by scholars like Sidney Tarrow, Doug McAdam, and Charles Tilly, it posits that social movements arise not solely from grievances, but from changes in the political context that allow these grievances to be heard. Such changes include increasing political pluralism, a decline in repression, divisions among elites, and increased political enfranchisement.
How does the constructivist/cultural perspective contribute to understanding protest violence?
This perspective emphasizes the role of social movements in identity construction, arguing that collective goals and identities evolve over time, becoming both the cause and product of mobilization.
According to Donatella della Porta, how do cultural processes influence protest violence?
Radical ideologies lead to radical violent repertoires when triggered by political opportunities. State repression can create martyrs, myths, and injustice frames that fuel violence.
What is the role of emotions in social movements, according to scholars like Jeff Goodwin, James Jasper, Francesca Polletta, and Hank Johnston?
Inspired by the cultural turn in social sciences, these scholars examine how emotions, shaped by cultural understandings and norms, influence mobilization and identity construction.
What are moral shocks, and how do they impact social movements?
Described by James M. Jasper and Jeff Goodwin, moral shocks are events that evoke strong emotional responses, often leading to the recruitment of new members and the activation of existing networks within social movements.
What are some types of emotions relevant to social movements?
Reflexive emotions, moods, and moral emotions.
According to Hank Johnston, how do emotions shape protester and police violence?
Emotions can alter the assessment of costs and risks, leading to escalation. His relational perspective emphasizes the interplay of emotions between protesters and police.
What are scattered attacks in the context of protest violence?
Violent tactics employed by radical groups within a largely nonviolent protest, often as a strategy to gain attention or assert commitment.
