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Nonviolent Action
Course #: CONRES 641
Description:
Nonviolent action, also known as civil resistance, refers to conflict waged by nonviolent means. It requires collective action, it is strategic and oriented toward a shared goal, it involves contentious action outside of normal institutional channels, and those practicing it refrain from using violence. Given the power asymmetries in many societies, other conflict resolution and dialogue tools may prove insufficient if one party benefits from the status quo and does not perceive an incentive to negotiate. In these cases, nonviolent action can be a way of using `People Power’ to change power dynamics and the opponent’s perception of how costly it is to refuse to negotiate. This course will introduce the foundational concepts and theories of nonviolent action, explore the research on its effectiveness, study cases from the United States and around the world of how it has worked even in very challenging or repressive contexts, and introduce tools to analyze and plan a campaign relying on nonviolent action to address an injustice or threat.
Pre Requisites: