By Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, “How the World is Proving Martin Luther King Right about Nonviolence,” Washington Post, January 18, 2016. “I left India more convinced than ever before that nonviolent resistance was the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.” – “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King…
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By Mary Elizabeth King. The U.S. civil rights movement (1955–1965) of the mid-twentieth century owes its success in part to its implementation of the technique of nonviolent struggle, using scores of nonviolent methods, or action steps. The hundreds of documented nonviolent sanctions, or methods, fall generally into one of three fundamental categories, identified by the…
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By Hardy Merriman. Nonviolent action is a way for ordinary people to fight for their rights, freedom, and justice. It is frequently associated with moral or ethical nonviolence, but I will address it here as a distinct phenomenon, separate from any moral or ethical underpinnings, to expand on how it works as a pragmatic way…
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By Christopher A. Miller. Goals and Themes: Pragmatism or Principles Thus far, nonviolent struggle has been discussed strictly in political and pragmatic terms. Nonviolent action is commonly confused with or incorrectly substituted for nonviolence. Although the two terms are not mutually exclusive, the fundamental differences between them should be noted. Nonviolence is a belief in…
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Derek Seidman, “The Hidden History of the SNCC Research Department” May 2, 2017 “AT LAST!! THE PAPER YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!! WHAT IS THE SNCC RESEARCH DEPARTMENT……” This was the headline of a February 1965 circular, typed and mimeographed, that went around to chapters of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee — or SNCC,…
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Mary E. King, “Nonviolent Struggle in Africa: Essentials of Knowledge and Teaching,” Africa Peace and Conflict Journal 1, no. 1 (December 2008): 19-44. Nonviolent struggle, also called civil resistance or nonviolent resistance, is often misunderstood or goes unrecognized by diplomats, journalists, and teachers not trained in the technique of nonviolent action; to them, events ‘just…
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Hardy Merriman, “Korbel Quickfacts of Peace and Security: Key Resources for Movement Organizers,” Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, December 2016. Civil resistance movement organizers face many common challenges, including developing a unifying vision, building trust among different communities, eliciting widespread participation, coordinating coherent local and national strategies, training participants committed to…
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Kurt Schock, “Nonviolent Action and Its Misconceptions: Insights for Social Scientists,” Political Science and Politics 36 (4): 705-12. Prior to the wave of people power movements that erupted across the globe in the late twentieth century, scholars of social movements and revolution rarely addressed nonviolent action as a strategy for political change in non-democratic contexts.…
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