Trust and Rule

Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics

by Charles Tilly

Rightly fearing that unscrupulous rulers would break them up, seize their resources, or submit them to damaging forms of intervention, strong networks of trust such as kinship groups, clandestine religious sects, and trade diasporas have historically insulated themselves from political control by a variety of strategies. Drawing on a vast range of comparisons over time and space, Charles Tilly asks and answers how, and with what consequences, members of trust networks have evaded, compromised with, or even sought connections with political regimes.

Genres: Political Science, Sociology, History, Politics

214 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2014

About the author

Charles Tilly was an American sociologist, political scientist, and historian renowned for his pioneering contributions to the study of social change, state formation, and contentious politics. A prolific scholar, Tilly authored over 600 articles and more than 50 books, shaping disciplines ranging from sociology and history to political science. His research was grounded in large-scale, comparative historical analysis, exemplified by his influential works Coercion, Capital, and European States, Durable Inequality, and Dynamics of Contention.
Tilly began his academic career after earning his doctorate in sociology from Harvard University, where he studied under noted figures like George C. Homans and Barrington Moore Jr. He taught at several major institutions, including the University of Michigan, The New School, and ultimately Columbia University, where he held the Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professorship of Social Science.
He developed a distinctive theoretical approach that rejected simplistic, static models of society, instead emphasizing dynamic processes and relational mechanisms. Tilly’s theories of state formation, particularly his provocative comparison of war-making and state-making to organized crime, remain central in political sociology. He also played a key role in the evolution of historical sociology and the relational sociology movement, especially through his collaborations and influence on the New York School.
A leading theorist of social movements, Tilly outlined how modern protest became structured around campaigns, repertoires of contention, and public displays of unity, worthiness, numbers, and commitment. His work with scholars like Sidney Tarrow and Doug McAdam further redefined the field by linking social movements to broader political processes.
Tilly received numerous honors, including membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as multiple honorary doctorates. His legacy endures through awards bearing his name and through continued influence on generations of social scientists.

Reviews

[Елвира · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very interesting theoretical basis. I admit that the more I read, the more all social sciences seem too vague, to indefinite and too broad to me. But it seems that, after all, some theories may be derived which would make us more informed of the factual status of ourselves as beings and parts of a society which has the institution of government.

Yet the facts and historical examples provided in the book were very boring and so narrow. Not all - for example when it came to Spain or Northern Ireland or the short account on Islamic terrorism - however these topics are so complicated, that they require to be presented as a separate type of investigations. A lot of data were enmeshed in the support of the theory of the trust networks, which was too exhausting for me (and I am an avid fact-lover). It would have been way more interesting to delve deeper into the links between TNs and the forms of government (authocracy, theocracy, democracy, totalitarianism). However full 5-stars for the concept and the logic!