Maciej Bartkowski’s session: Civil Resistance and Democratic Transitions
Civil resistance is a powerful democratization force. Countries that experience popular political upheavals spearheaded by civic nonviolent movements have much better chances of more peaceful and successful democratic transition than states where the regimes fall as a result of top-down pressure of reformist-minded powerholders, outside intervention or violent insurrection. The talk will among others explore some of the mechanisms by which broad-based nonviolent movements facilitate democratization and will look at specific attributes of nonviolent movements that can generate important and positive residual effects on democratic transition and consolidation.
Hardy Merriman’s session:How and Why Civil Resistance Works
Nonviolent civil resistance is a powerful way for ordinary people to win rights, freedom, justice, good governance and a variety of other causes. Time and again, in all parts of the globe, civil resisters have defied the odds and successfully engaged in diverse tactics--such as strikes, boycotts, demonstrations, the establishment of parallel institutions, and a wide variety of others actions--in order to gain leverage against oppressors and hold powerholders accountable. How does civil resistance work and why? How has unarmed grassroots resistance coerced powerful adversaries to change their behavior? These and other questions will be addressed during this session.
Daryn Cambridge’s session:Liberation Tech?: The Impact of the Internet and Digital Activism on Nonviolent Resistance
The emerging role of digital tools and new media are impacting the way people around the world struggle nonviolently for human rights, justice, and democratic self-rule. In addition, these communication technologies are also being used as tools of repression by the very governments and structures these movements oppose. Looking at the evolution of communication and information sharing as tools and methods of resistance, Daryn will expand on contemporary struggles for rights waged with the help of online, social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube and technologies such as cell phones and digital cameras that advance the utility of these platforms.