Tilly's concept
Tilly (1978) argued that aggrieved people do not take every conceivable action but choose among a few forms learned and shared in their society. Repertoires are created in relationships between claimants and targets, and unfamiliar forms are hard to understand and less effective. The concept became a central tool of contentious politics research.
Historical transformation
Analyzing thousands of events in Britain between 1758 and 1834, Tilly (1993, 1995) showed that an older repertoire that was local and patronized, such as food riots and rituals of ridicule, gave way to a new repertoire that was national and autonomous, including public meetings, petitions, demonstrations and associations. The shift was intertwined with rising parliamentary power, capitalism and state formation. The insight is that familiar movement forms are themselves historical products of modernity.
Innovation and extension
McAdam (1983) showed that new tactics such as sit-ins initially wrong-foot authorities but lose effect as countermeasures emerge, forcing movements to innovate again. Tarrow (1993) explained that new forms are tried at the peak of protest cycles, and some settle into the repertoire. Stephan and Chenoweth (2008) found nonviolent forms more successful, and Earl and Kimport (2011) argued that digital repertoires such as online petitions sharply lower participation costs.
FAQ
- What are repertoires of contention in simple terms?
- The idea that the ways people protest come from a familiar 'menu' in their era; today's marches and petitions are examples.
- How do repertoires change?
- When state and economic structures change, or movements succeed with new tactics, new forms join the list and old ones fade.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Tilly, C. (1978). From mobilization to revolution. Addison-Wesley. Where the concept began.
- Tilly, C. (1995). Popular contention in Great Britain, 1758–1834. Harvard University Press. Repertoire change in Britain.
- Tilly, C. (1993). Contentious repertoires in Great Britain, 1758–1834. Social Science History, 17(2), 253–280. The concept in article form.
- Tarrow, S. (1993). Cycles of collective action: Between moments of madness and the repertoire of contention. Social Science History, 17(2), 281–307. Innovation within protest cycles.
- McAdam, D. (1983). Tactical innovation and the pace of insurgency. American Sociological Review, 48(6), 735–754. Tactical innovation.
- Stephan, M. J., & Chenoweth, E. (2008). Why civil resistance works: The strategic logic of nonviolent conflict. International Security, 33(1), 7–44. Outcomes of nonviolent repertoires.
- Earl, J., & Kimport, K. (2011). Digitally enabled social change: Activism in the internet age. MIT Press. Digital repertoires.