Enzo, Nussio and Clayton, Govinda

A wave of lynching: Morality and authority in post-Tsunami ACEH - Comparative Politics - 52(2), Jan, 2023: p. 313-336

Lynching is surprisingly prevalent today. Most research on it still focuses on the Southern U.S. after the Civil War. Other research on contemporary lynching provides detailed descriptions of lynching in particular contexts. However, there is a notable deficit in systematic analysis of theoretical arguments. In this Comparative Politics article, CSS’ Enzo Nussio and Govinda Clayton extend prior work in developing a novel argument that explains contemporary lynching, which is being assessed using systematic evidence on lynching in Indonesia. The authors argue that two conditions can create a context ripe for lynching: shared morality around a salient collective threat and weak authority - Reproduced


Authority; Indonesia; Legitimacy; Lynching; Morality; Natural disaster; Violence