Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective

Stephen Zunes, Lester R. Kurtz and Sarah Beth Asher

Blackwell Publishers
Malden, MA — November 1999
ISBN-10: 1577180763
ISBN-13: 978-1577180760

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Description

Nonviolent Social Movements is the first book to offer a truly global overview of the dramatic growth of popular nonviolent struggles in recent years. From the civil rights movement in the United States, and the ‘People Power’ movement in the Philippines, to the pro-democracy movements of Asia, Latin America, and Europe, nonviolent action has emerged as a key element of political change in recent decades.

Despite its widespread diffusion as a conscious movement around the world, we still understand little about nonviolence as a technique for social change. This volume seeks to provide an understanding of the extent to which organized nonviolent action can be used to replace violent struggle and the conditions under which it can succeed. Nonviolent Social Movements brings together case studies from around the world to demonstrate how nonviolent action works and what possibilities and limitations it holds for achieving social change and deterring aggressors.

Table of Contents
Reviews

Sources of Acknowledgments
Notes on Editors and Contributors

Introduction

Part I: Perspectives on Nonviolent Movements
1. Nonviolence and Power in the Twentieth Century
by Kenneth E. Boulding
2. You Can’t Kill the Spirit: Women and Nonviolent Action
by Pam McAllister

Part II: The Middle East
Introduction
3. Unarmed Resistance in the Middle East and North Africa
by Stephen Zunes
4. Nonviolent Resistance in the Occupies Territories: A Critical Reevaluation
by Souad Dajani

Part III: Europe
Introduction
5. The Grassroots Movement in Germany, 1972 – 1985
by Matthew Lyons
6. “ We Have Bare Hands”: Nonviolent Social Movements in the Soviet Bloc
by Lee Smithey and Lester R. Kurtz

Part IV: Asia
Introduction
7. The Origins of People Power in the Philippines
by Stephen Zunes
8. Imagery in the 1992 Nonviolent Uprising in Thailand
by Chaiwat Satha-Anand
9. Violent and Nonviolent Struggle in Burma: Is a Unified Strategy Workable?
by Michael Beer

Part V: Africa
Introduction
10. The Ogoni Struggle for Human Rights and a Civil Society in Nigeria
by Joshua Cooper
11. The Role of Nonviolence in the Downfall of Apartheid
by Stephen Zunes

Part VI: Latin America
Introduction
12. Advocating Nonviolent Direct Action in Latin America: The Antecedents and Emergence of SERPAJ
by Ronald Pagnucco and John D. McCarthy
13. The Brazilian Church-State Crisis of 1980: Effective Nonviolent Action in a Military Dictatorship
by Daniel Zirker

Part VII: North America
Introduction
14. Nonviolent Social Movements in the United States: A Historical Overview
by Charles Chatfield

Conclusion
by Stephen Zunes and Lester R. Kurtz
Index

“At the end of the bloodiest century in human history it is vital that we learn how to solve problems and generate effective social and political change non-violently. This book demonstrates that many brave people in diverse political situations are effective because they have decided that the means are as important as the ends, that one does not defeat evil with more evil, repression with repression, violence with violence. Scholars and activists alike will find much to ponder in this collection. I commend it to everyone with an interest in the future of the human species.”
–Kevin Clements, George Mason University

“This is an excellent collection of case studies knitted together by the editors’ presentation of a sound set of theoretical issues. Both help us understand the dynamics of nonviolent social movements.”
–Paul Joseph, Tufts University

“A timely book.”
–Pacifica Review