ABSTRACT
Reactions to systemic and institutional violence may include collective violence from below, perpetrated by crowds or groups. This chapter analyses how resentment triggers challenging collective initiative. Commentators, intellectuals and the media can frame ideas and social action in a number of ways. They can select particular aspects or portray certain conducts in ways that elicit sympathy, suspicion or overt aversion. For example, the choice to label participants in collective action as protesters or as rioters leads to judgements about the motives of participants and the legitimacy of their claims. Also, framing events as episodic or as thematic may determine whether collective action is deemed a mere incident or a manifestation of wider social discontent. This chapter presents the literature on crowds, discusses riots and analyses in detail some contemporary examples of how social groups express a need for recognition through violence.
