Erica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Protest and Dissent
Our team explores how protest and dissent serve as vital forces in democratic societies, shaping public discourse, advancing social change, and informing scholarly research on civic participation and institutional accountability.
Related Programs
Protest and dissent are essential expressions of democratic life, enabling individuals and communities to voice grievances, demand accountability, and advocate for political and social change. Through public demonstration, artistic expression, digital activism, and other forms of collective action, dissent shapes public discourse and influences institutional reform.
Our scholars research on protest and dissent examines their role in strengthening democratic responsiveness, protecting fundamental freedoms, and navigating the tensions between authority and civic participation.
Meet The Experts
Zoe Marks
Lecturer in Public Policy
Liz McKenna
Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Soha Hammam
Research Project Manager, Nonviolent Action Lab
Christopher Shay
Research Associate, Crowd Counting Consortium
Matthew Cebul
Lead Research Fellow for the Nonviolent Action Lab, AY2025-2026
Commentary
Overview of Protest Activity Around the 2024 Democratic National Convention
As part of its regular work tracking political protest activity across the United States, the Crowd Counting Consortium (CCC) closely followed events around this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Podcast
Episode 6: What happened in Venezuela’s elections?
In this episode, host Jay Ulfelder sits down with Nonviolent Action Lab Research Fellow Freddy Guevara to discuss the outcome of Venezuela’s elections and what that means for the state of democracy in the country.
Commentary
The Real Numbers: Tracking Crowd Sizes at Presidential Rallies
This post uses the Crowd Counting Consortium’s data on U.S. protest activity since 2017 to estimate and compare the average size of the crowds at political rallies featuring Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and, since late July 2024, Kamala Harris.
Podcast
Episode 5: Independent Protest Journalism
Host Jay Ulfelder sits down with journalists Talia Jane, Raven, and Sean Beckner-Carmitchel to discuss the impact of independent journalism on protest activity and social movements.
Podcast
Episode Four: The Movement to Stop Cop City
Host Jay Ulfelder sits down with Joseph Brown, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to discuss a mass mobilization in Atlanta to stop a new a police training center amid environmental and community rights concerns.