1. How should we define contentious politics? When does contention and conventional politics overlap ...

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1. How should we define contentious politics? When does contention and conventional politics overlap? ?2. When studying contentious politics, what are some strengths and weaknesses of the structuralist, rational choice, and constructionist approaches? ?3. Because of the different “repertoires” can we consider peaceful protest in democracies and more violent forms of contention in authoritarian states part of the same field? ?4. As protests become “institutionalized” are they truly contentious anymore? ?5. Does Scott make a convincing argument about “everyday resistance”? How does it fit into the larger field of contentious politics? ?6. Looking at Bishara, is it more important for a social movement to “broaden” or “deepen?” ?7. Do the realities of government make contention inevitable, even when a government was brought to power by social movements? ?8. Do governments need to work to ensure adequate channels for bargaining with emerging social movements to avoid violence, even in seemingly democratic and stable nations? ?9. Is the emergence of more “disenchanted critics” a worrying sign for democratic stability?