This article rethinks the dynamics of collective contention by emphasizing the role of tactical ambiguity. In the face of high political uncertainty, contentious mobilizations work best when they avoid explicit claim-making and engage instead in what I call equivocal challenges—i.e. provocative actions whose meaning will be defined by the response they elicit from specific targets. I provide detailed illustrative support for this argument through a study of the 1948 Bogotazo, by analyzing network data and repertoires of action extracted from archival sources. I conclude that rushed claim-making in contexts of political uncertainty may very well be a losing tactic and that conversely collective equivocation has significant political payoffs.

中文翻译：

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模棱两可的挑战：1948 年 Bogotazo 的战术歧义和延期索赔

本文通过强调策略模糊的作用，重新思考集体竞争的动态。面对高度的政治不确定性，有争议的动员在避免明确提出主张并转而参与我称之为模棱两可的挑战时效果最好——即挑衅性行动，其意义将由它们从特定目标引起的反应来定义。我通过对 1948 年 Bogotazo 的研究，通过分析从档案资源中提取的网络数据和动作库，为这一论点提供了详细的说明性支持。我的结论是，在政治不确定的情况下匆忙提出主张很可能是一种失败的策略，相反，集体模棱两可会带来重大的政治回报。