Why do People Riot? Understanding the micro-level processes motivating Hindu-Muslim Riots in India

Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Graduate Student Research 2007-08Since its partition in 1947, India has experienced a rise in Hindu-Muslim violence. Despite the large social and economic strains that riots place on the Indian state and society, violence occurs frequently in India’s northern and western cities. Soundarya Chidambaram explores the factors that provoke people to participate in ethnic violence. She investigates the causes and nature of such violence, asking: Why do people decide to riot? What factors determine why, when, and where riots are likely to occur? How do these factors shape people's motivation to riot as members of an ethnic group