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Articles on Social unrest

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Men and boys, many dressed as women, attacking a turnpike gate in protest at charges at tollgates on public roads in west Wales. The Illustrated London News, 1843. World History Archive/Alamy

Why men in 19th century Wales dressed as women to protest taxation

The Rebecca riots saw Welsh farmers disguised as women destroy tollgates as a way of challenging what they believed was an oppressive taxation system.
Residents clean up the streets and local businesses after looting incidents in Alexandra, Johannesburg. EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook

What lies behind social unrest in South Africa, and what might be done about it

Much of the commentary on the July riots, which cost over 300 lives and billions of rands in damage to the economy, has neglected the long history of violent protests in the country.
Police in riot gear stand in a line against protesters next to a message spay painted on the Kenosha County Courthouse in August 2020 after the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Force is no substitute for social justice, so let’s dismantle the police

Other agencies or officials can do much of what police do now. So let’s disband police forces and replace them with local community organizations.
Everyone needs to be fired up with a rage aligned with the feminine principle of care rather than the masculine principle of control. GettyImages

There’s hope, if we wake up to today’s evolutionary potential

How two massive opposing forces - the shift towards a sustainable world and the force that thrives on inequality - are unfolding at a global level.
Revolution and war: is it all just a little bit of history repeating? blprnt_van

Cliodynamics: can science decode the laws of history?

They say history always repeats itself - empires rise and fall, economies boom and bust - but is there a way to map and predict the dynamical processes of history? The new and highly controversial discipline…
Young people who feel excluded from mainstream politics often join extreme groups to ‘belong’. AFP/Wojtek Radwanski

Youth violence and group identity: understanding radical protest

Many young people in Europe think violent protest can be a legitimate response to the political system they feel no connection to. They believe government pays very little attention to them and have very…

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