World Politics Series

The Revolutionary City: Urbanization and the Global Transformation of Rebellion

Zalingei, Sudan. UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran. www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
Thu
Nov
17

Mark Beissinger
Henry W. Putnam Professor, Department of Politics, Princeton University

This talk will explore how the concentration of people, power, and wealth in cities over the last century has altered the frequency, character, and consequences of political revolutions. Using new data on revolutions around the world since 1900, a series of unusual public opinion surveys, and extensive case material, it examines the implications of the return of revolution to the city in the late twentieth century and how this has been accompanied by an “urban civic” repertoire relying on the power of numbers rather than the power of arms.

This lecture is part of a larger series organized by Faculty Fellows Scott Mainwaring and Karrie Koesel entitled “Perspectives on World Politics.” Since its inception in 2016, this series aims to spotlight the Kellogg Institute’s strength in comparative politics by featuring distinguished scholars who speak on a topic related to each year’s theme.