Protest Leadership in Rural China

Lianjiang Li, Kevin J. O'brien
2008 The China Quarterly  
Rural protest leaders in China play a number of roles. Among others, they lead the charge, shape collective claims, recruit activists and mobilize the public, devise and orchestrate acts of contention, and organize cross-community efforts. Protest leaders emerge in two main ways. Long-time public figures initiate popular action on their own or in response to requests from other villagers; ordinary villagers evolve into protest leaders when efforts to seek redress for a personal grievance fail.
more » ... ural officials sometimes attempt to co-opt or buy off protest leaders, but more often turn to repression. Although cracking down may inhibit further contention, at other times it firms up the determination of protest leaders and makes them more prone to adopt confrontational tactics, partly by enhancing their popular support, partly by increasing the costs of withdrawal. Protest Leadership in Rural China 1 Nearly every discussion of protest leadership begins with a statement that the topic remains woefully understudied. 2 Whether it is because most social scientists shy away from "great man theories of history," favor explanations that emphasize culture or structure over agency, or are put off by the idiosyncrasies of personality, examining the people who mobilize and plan collective action has largely been left to psychologists, journalists, and activists, 3 rather than sociologists or political scientists. Studies of contention in rural China share this general orientation. Much has been learned about the origins, dynamics and consequences of protest, but little about the people who stand at the center of the action. For every study of grievances, petitions, or demonstrations, there are only brief passages here and there about the individuals who 1 For helpful comments, we would like to thank
doi:10.1017/s0305741008000015 fatcat:h37eq5qovrcfvo7t3bdb7qpjg4