Abstract
Ethnic competition theory provides considerable insight into the localized contexts within which ethnic solidarities intensify and contribute to increased, conflict, but gives less guidance as to how the spatial dynamics of such contexts impact the rise of sustained ethnic mobilization. Using the case of the Civil Rights-era Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina, the authors show that threat/competition dynamics were tied to distinct dimensions of spatial context and then root these spatial effects in social processes. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that mobilization was facilitated by the presence of opportunities for connections within and across counties, through which information about the klan could spread to other aggrieved individuals. These findings suggest that more attention be paid to the mesolevel contexts within which reactive political contention emerges.