Peasants and Collective Action

In this seminar, we will explore political action by the largest group of ordinary people in the world -- peasants. Substantively, our topics will range from “everyday forms of resistance,” to nonviolent collective action to outright defiance and insurgency. We will consider work both in the moral economy and the choice-theoretic traditions. We will follow protest activity (mainly in developing countries) from the decision by the first activists to defy authority, through efforts to recruit (or frighten away) potential supporters, to final outcomes. Efforts will be made to draw on theoretical insights and empirical studies conducted by political scientists, historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and historians.