Situational breakdowns: Understanding protest violence and other surprising outcomes: by Anne Nassauer, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019, 288 pp., £25.99 (hardback), ISBN: 9780190922061.

Situational breakdowns: Understanding protest violence and other surprising outcomes, by Anne Nassauer Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019, 288 pp., £25.99 (hardback), ISBN: 9780190922061 The eruption of violence at apparently peaceful protests is an important issue, as the effect of a loss of control can be significant and lasting. In setting out the respective positions of protest actors (Chapter 1) and the police (Chapter 3), Nassauer clearly demonstrates the interactive character of such events, pointing to the centrality of mutually recognised and understood patterns. Addressing how this may happen, Nassauer notes that 'several triggering moments can systematically foster emotional dominance and protest violence: the breakup of police-protester lines; one side being outnumbered; and people falling down'[6]. [Extracted from the article]