Using recent advances in event history diffusion modeling, this article ree
xamines the diffusion of racial rioting in the United States from 1964-71,
uncovering several important aspects of diffusion not evident from prior an
alyses. First, riots are not independent events, and modeling them as such
results in an inadequate understanding of the violence wave. Second, cities
not only have differential intrinsic propensities to riot, but also differ
ent levels of responsiveness and resistance to diffusion from other riots.
Third, implied networks related to mass media distribution provide the path
way along which riot diffusion is transmitted. These combined results under
score the necessity of conceptualizing riots as a series of interdependent
events, which diffuse in different patterns depending on the characteristic
s of the riot and the city in which it occurs, and they further accentuate
the paramount importance of the mass media in creating and sustaining colle
ctive violence and protest waves.