Contentious Performances

Back to the Future: Changing Repertoire in Contemporary Protests

“…In his historical studies of centuries of contention, he identified an important change: collective action became cosmopolitan, modular and more autonomous if compared to what used to be the routine forms of demonstration. He showed that in mid‐eighteenth century Britain, the performances of contention often involved: smashing windows, collective seizures of food, battles between smugglers and royal officers, public humiliations and destruction of property of moral offenders (Tilly, 2013: 42). Direct action outside residences of wrongdoers was frequent: ‘ridicule and shunning served as powerful punishments, while the distinction between private and public life remained quite blurred’ (Tilly, 2013: 43).…”

“…He showed that in mid‐eighteenth century Britain, the performances of contention often involved: smashing windows, collective seizures of food, battles between smugglers and royal officers, public humiliations and destruction of property of moral offenders (Tilly, 2013: 42). Direct action outside residences of wrongdoers was frequent: ‘ridicule and shunning served as powerful punishments, while the distinction between private and public life remained quite blurred’ (Tilly, 2013: 43). In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the predominant forms of contention changed significantly, and included ‘turnouts, strikes, demonstrations, electoral rallies, public meetings, petition marches, planned insurrections, invasions of official assemblies, organised social movements, and electoral campaigns’ (Tilly, 2013: 44).…”

“…Direct action outside residences of wrongdoers was frequent: ‘ridicule and shunning served as powerful punishments, while the distinction between private and public life remained quite blurred’ (Tilly, 2013: 43). In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the predominant forms of contention changed significantly, and included ‘turnouts, strikes, demonstrations, electoral rallies, public meetings, petition marches, planned insurrections, invasions of official assemblies, organised social movements, and electoral campaigns’ (Tilly, 2013: 44).…”

How to Be Visible in Student Politics: Performativity and the Digital Public Space in Bangladesh

“…Political performances can take many different forms-be it in forms of state rituals like parades (Kong and Yeoh 1997); court trials (Kaviraj 2007); political speeches and election campaigns (Heder 2007;McLeod 1999); or protest movements and political processions (Jaoul 2007; Suykens and Islam 2013). These move from state spectacles (Geertz 1980) to contentious performances (Tilly 2008;Tilly and Tarrow 2015) and highly individualized performances (Strauss and Cruise O'Brien 2007). Ultimately, the primary objective of a political performance is to create a positive reaction by the audience; therefore, "much needs to go into making the performance intelligible to those target audiences" (Strauss and Cruise O'Brien 2007, 3).…”

Chinese abolitionism: the Chinese Educational Mission in Connecticut, Cuba, and Peru

“…To counter the management, legitimacy, and existence of these labour regimes was an exercise in 'contentious politics', an activity 'making claims that bear on someone else's interests', with governments fulfilling the function of 'targets, initiators of claims, or third parties'. 90 By assuming these roles, the CEM-based actor network did the spadework for China's continuing countering of international discrimination and inequality, efforts that would be just as alive overseas as they were at home.…”