Why do riots occur?
Few communal riots are accidental. Most are planned or are preceded by communal propaganda. The Indian state’s record on riot prevention has been no better than its record on riot control. A.G. NOORANI Riots and Pogroms, Edited by Paul R. Brass; Macmillan Press, £15.99, Pages 262. THEORIES about the occurrence of riots abound even as their frequency increases. It is instructive to consider some of them, brought together in a volume edited by the scholar Paul R. Brass. His magisterial introduction sets the tone. He points out, insightfully, that, in their search for causes, the contesting interpretations of a riot among competing groups, academics, journalists and politicians themselves can reveal attitudes which underlie the violence itself. His thesis bears quotation in extenso: “If it is accepted that Russians attack Jews because Jews exploit them and because Jews set themselves apart, then measures need to be taken to prevent ‘Jewish exploitation’ and to either promote their assimil
