Why Men Rebel was first published in 1970 on the heels of a decade of political violence and protest not only in remote corners of Africa and Southeast Asia, but also at home in the United States. Forty years later, the world is still concerned with conflicts in Africa and Asia, along with the Middle East, and the United States has been overtaken by a focus on international terrorism. Do the arguments of 1970 apply today? Ted Robert Gurr reintroduces us to his landmark work, putting it in context with research it spawned as well as with world events. The fact that Why Men Rebel has been recently translated into Arabic and Russian is telling, and its award-winning presentation compels a re-reading. Why Men Rebeln continues to be recognized as a classic because it helped lead the way to a systematic, people-based understanding of the causes of political protest and rebellion. With its close eye on the politics of group identity, grievances, and governmental response, Why Men Rebel lends new insight into contemporary challenges of transnational recruitment and organization, multimedia mobilization, and terrorism.

Ted Robert Gurr is Distinguished University Professor, Emeritus, and Founding Director of the Minorities at Risk Project in the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland.