Omar Wasow, a political science professor at UC Berkeley and a key voice on the history of protests, shares insights on the current wave of protests sweeping across college campuses in response to the Gaza war. He discusses how the dynamics of protests have evolved since the 1960s, highlighting the impact of media coverage on public opinion. Wasow explains why some protests succeed while others backfire, and the critical role of peaceful activism in shaping societal change. His analysis draws parallels between past and present movements, shedding light on strategies for effective engagement.
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insights INSIGHT
Elite Influence vs. Bottom-Up Protests
Elites heavily influence political communication, often overshadowing public opinion.
Protests, being bottom-up, aim to challenge this top-down dynamic.
insights INSIGHT
Protests as TV Programming
The 1960's saw a rise in televised news, transforming protest strategies.
Civil rights protests became impactful content, putting pressure on local actors through national exposure.
insights INSIGHT
Protest Tactics and Public Opinion
Protests significantly impact public discourse and political dialogue.
Different tactics shape media coverage, influencing public sympathy or hostility.
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The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation
Hank Klibanoff
Gene Roberts
The Race Beat is a meticulously researched book that explores the pivotal role of journalists in the Civil Rights Movement. Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff detail how a dedicated group of reporters, both black and white, exposed the nation's racial injustices, contributing to the movement's momentum. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2007.
Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion, and Voting
Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion, and Voting
Omar Wasow
This paper by Omar Wasow examines the impact of black-led protests in the 1960s on political elites, public opinion, and voting behavior. It introduces the concept of 'agenda seeding' to describe how minority activists use disruption to bring about change. The research finds that nonviolent protests were more effective in advancing civil rights, while violent protests often led to increased repression.
Twitter and tear gas
Zeynep Tufekci
Zeynep Tufekci's "Twitter and Tear Gas" examines the role of social media in facilitating and shaping protest movements. The book analyzes how digital technologies are used to organize, coordinate, and disseminate information during protests, particularly in contexts of political repression. Tufekci explores the complex relationship between technology, social movements, and state responses, highlighting both the empowering and limiting aspects of digital tools. The book also delves into the strategies employed by governments to control and suppress online activism. Ultimately, "Twitter and Tear Gas" offers a nuanced perspective on the impact of social media on contemporary political action.
In the last week, hundreds of protests across college campuses and American cities have taken place in response to the war in Gaza. Campus life has shut down at Columbia University in NYC. The news is strewn with images of police confrontations on campuses, from Texas to California. Hundreds of demonstrators across the country have been taken into police custody. And many people now anticipate that, without a major course correction in the war in Gaza, demonstrators will converge on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, in a replay of the infamous 1968 anti-war protests and police riots that defined that national convention. Next week, we’re going to have a full episode on the war itself. Today, I want to talk about the nature of protest itself. Omar Wasow, a professor of political science at UC Berkeley, is the author of an influential paper about the history of 1960s protests. Today we talk about what made the 1960s protests different, how protests succeed, how protests backfire, and how his research applies to today.
If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.
Host: Derek Thompson
Guest: Omar Wasow
Producer: Devon Baroldi
LINKS: "Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion, and Voting" [link]
Plain English with Derek Thompson 
