JSPES, Vol. 46, No. 1-2 (Spring-Summer 2021)
pp. 27-50

Vigilantism in Divided Societies

Pavel V. Ivanov
Dmitriy I. Plotnikov
Aleksandar Djokic
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow

This paper analyzes the phenomenon of vigilantism as a significant byproduct of political systems in a state of crisis. Three examples of vigilantism in different political systems, cultures and eras were chosen to illustrate the author’s theme: the Russian Civil War, the Yugoslavian breakup, and post-apartheid South Africa. The authors note that vigilantism is more common when marked ethnic and social divides exist in a country as well as failures of political institutions created to protect the interests of citizens.