Protest leadership in rural China

Nearly every discussion of protest leadership begins with a statement that the topic remains woefully understudied.2 Whether it is because most social scientists shy away from “great man theories of history,” favor explanations that emphasize culture or structure over agency, or are put off by the idiosyncrasies of personality, examining the people who mobilize and plan collective action has largely been left to psychologists, journalists, and activists,3 rather than sociologists or political scientists.