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The past century of research has identified a host of economic, political, demographic, & other factors that seem to be associated with the prevalence of riots. The study of riots has, however, probably focused too much on these "push" factors that lead to violence & not enough on understanding the response of the state to riots. Understanding the political incentives that motivate democratic & authoritarian states to sometimes allow riots to take place & at other times to take the strongest possible law-&-order measures to prevent them is key to understanding variation in violence. Scholars also need to pay more attention to the psychological factors that encourage people to riot, & to the micro-logic of target choice within these larger events. Adapted from the source document.

The past century of research has identified a host of economic, political, demographic, and other factors that seem to be associated with the prevalence of riots. The study of riots has, however, probably focused too much on these "push" factors that lead to violence and not enough on understanding the response of the state to riots. Understanding the political incentives that motivate democratic and authoritarian states to sometimes allow riots to take place and at other times to take the strongest possible law-and-order measures to prevent them is key to understanding variation in violence. Scholars also need to pay more attention to the psychological factors that encourage people to riot, and to the micro-logic of target choice within these larger events.

Though they usually involve spontaneous, wanton violence or disorder by an anonymous crowd, riots have also served as a noteworthy form of social protest in American history. While the American Revolution made popular revolt a "quasi-legitimate" aspect of American culture, the ideals of democracy privilege debate and representation over mob rule. Nevertheless, Americans have frequently brought disorder to the nation's streets to express opinions and demands. Crowds have sought to limit the rights of others as often as they have demanded equal rights. Riots are not by definition part of organized rebellions, but they sometimes occur when public demonstrations turn to physical violence.

Recent work on collective violence has produced a needed corrective to the one-sided image of riotous crowds held by earlier theorists such as G. LeBon, E. D. Martin, & E. A. Ross. There has been a failure to give adequate attention to instances of rioting crowds where protest, ideology, & grievance are relatively absent. The exclusive contemporary focus on protest riots (however interesting & accessible) may obscure certain general predisposing factors, psychol'al states, soc processes, & consequences found in the most diverse types of riot. It may also inhibit the comparative analysis of diff types of outbursts. Certain dimensions that can be used to characterize riots are reviewed & a typology of forms of riot is developed by combining 2 of them: whether a generalized belief is present & whether the riot is instrumental in helping solve a group's problem. Some hyp's & 3 types of riots are discussed: (1) instrumental riots in which a generalized belief is present as in the 18th & 19th cent European food & industr riots studied by Rude & Hobsbawn; (2) riots in which a generalized belief is present but which are not instrumental in resolving a group's problems, such as most programs & communal riots; (3) issueless or unprincipled riots, in which a generalized protest belief is absent & which have slight implications for soc movements & change. Modified HA.

Für s u b \ u r b a n sprach Philippe Greif mit dem französischen Politikwissenschaftler Dr. Fabien Jobard über den Begriff riot, städtische Gewalt und Konfliktlinien im aktuellen Forschungsstand zu diesen Themen. Fabien Jobard ist Directeur de recherche am Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) und derzeit als Gastforscher am Zentrum Marc Bloch in Berlin. Zu seinen Forschungsschwerpunkten gehören die Soziologie der Polizei und die Rechtsprechung. Zusammen mit David Waddington und Mike King ist er Herausgeber des 2013 erschienenen Sammelbandes Rioting in the UK and France. A comparative analysis.