Understanding the Careers of Challenging Groups: A Commentary on Goldstone

The disagreements between Goldstone and myself go beyond the merits or demerits of The Strategy of Social Protest. We differ in our approaches to historical materials, in the way we relate argument or theory to data, and in our concern with how theoretical models may be relevant to policy. Furthermore, these differences in approach to understanding the careers of challenging groups lead us to different conclusions on what it takes to gain entry into the American Polity. As I shall try to show, Goldstone's criticism is weak, even when taken in its own terms, but our differences must be understood in the context of these wider issues.