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Recovering Nonviolent History: Civil Resistance in Liberation Struggles

Maciej Bartkowski

Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-58826-870-9
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-58826-895-2

Purchase the book

Download the Book (PDF, 3 MB)

This resource is also available in the following languages:

  • Farsi
  • Russian

Description

This unique book brings to light the little-known, but powerful roles that civil resistance has played in national liberation struggles throughout history. Ranging from the American Revolution to Kosovo in the 1990s, from Egypt under colonial rule to present-day West Papua and Palestine, the authors of Recovering Nonviolent History consider several key questions: What kinds of civilian-based nonviolent strategy and tactics have been used in liberation struggles? What accounts for their successes and failures? Not least, how did nonviolent resistance influence national identities and socioeconomic and political institutions both prior to and after liberation, and why has this history been so often ignored? The story that emerges is a compelling one of the agency of thousands and even millions of ordinary people as they used nonviolent force in the course of struggles against foreign subjugation.

All Chapters are currently available for download individually:

Chapter 1: Recovering Nonviolent History

Chapter 2: Identity Formation in Nonviolent Struggles

Chapter 3: Ghana: Nonviolent Resistance in the Independence Movement, 1890s-1950s

Chapter 4: Zambia: Nonviolent Strategies Against Colonialism, 1900s-1960s

Chapter 5: Mozambique: Liberation Myths and Resistance Strategies, 1920s-1970s

Chapter 6: Algeria: Nonviolent Resistance Against French Colonialism, 1830s-1950s

Chapter 7: Egypt: Nonviolent Resistance in the Rise of a Nation-State, 1805-1922

Chapter 8: Iran: Nonviolent Revolts, 1890-1906

Chapter 9: Palestine: Nonviolent Resistance in the Struggle for Statehood, 1920s-2012

Chapter 10: Burma: Civil Resistance in the Anticolonial Struggle, 1910s-1940

Chapter 11: Bangladesh: Civil Resistance in the Struggle for Independence, 1948-1971

Chapter 12: West Papua: Civil Resistance, Framing, and Identity, 1910s-2012

Chapter 13: Hungary: Nonviolent Resistance Against Austria, 1850s-1860s

Chapter 14: Poland: Forging the Polish Nation Nonviolently, 1860s-1900s

Chapter 15: Kosovo: Civil Resistance in Defense of the Nation, 1990s

Chapter 16: The United States: Reconsidering the Struggle for Independence, 1765-1775

Chapter 17: Cuba: Nonviolent Strategies for Autonomy and Independence, 1810s-1902

Chapter 18: Insights into Nonviolent Liberation Struggles

The digital sharing of this book was made possible thanks to Lynne Rienner Publishers. Click here to purchase a hardcopy version of the book.

  • Table of Contents
  • Reviews
  • Excerpts

Acknowledgments xi

1 Recovering Nonviolent History 1
Maciej J. Bartkowski

2 Identity Formation in Nonviolent Struggles 31
Lee A. Smithey

Part 1 Nonviolent Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa

3 Ghana: Nonviolent Resistance in the Independence
Movement, 1890s–1950s 51
Gail Presbey

4 Zambia: Nonviolent Strategies Against Colonialism,
1900s–1960s 71
Jotham C. Momba and Fay Gadsden

5 Mozambique: Liberation Myths and Resistance
Strategies, 1920s–1970s 89
Matt Meyer

Part 2 Nonviolent Resistance in North Africa and the Middle East

6 Algeria: Nonviolent Resistance Against French
Colonialism, 1830s–1950s 107
Malika Rahal

7 Egypt: Nonviolent Resistance in the Rise of a
Nation-State, 1805–1922 125
Amr Abdalla and Yasmine Arafa

8 Iran: Nonviolent Revolts, 1890–1906 143
Nikki R. Keddie

9 Palestine: Nonviolent Resistance in the Struggle for
Statehood, 1920s–2012 161
Dr. Mary Elizabeth King

Part 3 Nonviolent Resistance in Asia and Oceania

10 Burma: Civil Resistance in the Anticolonial Struggle,
1910s–1940 183
Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan

11 Bangladesh: Civil Resistance in the Struggle for
Independence, 1948–1971 199
Ishtiaq Hossain

12 West Papua: Civil Resistance, Framing, and Identity,
1910s–2012 217
Jason MacLeod

Part 4 Nonviolent Resistance in Europe

13 Hungary: Nonviolent Resistance Against Austria,
1850s–1860s 241
Tamás Csapody and Thomas Weber

14 Poland: Forging the Polish Nation Nonviolently,
1860s–1900s 259
Maciej J. Bartkowski

15 Kosovo: Civil Resistance in Defense of the Nation,
1990s 279
Howard Clark

Part 5 Nonviolent Resistance in the Americas

16 The United States: Reconsidering the Struggle for
Independence, 1765–1775 299

17 Cuba: Nonviolent Strategies for Autonomy and
Independence, 1810s–1902 319
Alfonso W. Quiroz

Part 6 Conclusion

18 Insights into Nonviolent Liberation Struggles 339
Maciej J. Bartkowski

Appendix: Conflict Summaries 355

List of Acronyms 407
Bibliography 409
The Contributors 415
Index 419
About the Book 436

Greatly expand[s] our knowledge of not only the extent of nonviolent action, but how its dynamic operates and contributes to a society’s ethos.”
—Ralph Summy, Journal of Peace Education

“Due to this groundbreaking text, we now have greater access to the breadth [and] depth … of the people’s power.”
—Karen D. Crozier, International Journal on World Peace

“This very important book establishes beyond doubt the necessity of recording the history of nonviolent struggles throughout the world…. The authors’ accounts of actual struggles from nearly every continent demonstrate that we have available experience with powerful ways to wage conflicts and face problems without violence.”
—Gene Sharp, Albert Einstein Institution

“Recovering Nonviolent History brings to the fore the role of the masses in mobilizing for their emancipation from oppression in all its guises, using peaceful, nonviolent tactics…. It makes a substantive contribution to the existing body of knowledge on resistance struggles the world over.”
—Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chair, African Union Commission

“No single volume has ever explored the dynamics of nonviolent contention in as broad a range of contexts as Recovering Nonviolent History. It is an altogether indispensable volume.”
—Doug McAdam, Stanford University

“Most people look to historical accounts to understand how their own nations emerged and fought for their freedom. Such explanations, whether found in books or imparted through public ceremonies and national memories, often tell of violent battles and insurrections, victories and defeats in wars, and fallen heroes in armed struggles. These narratives support the common belief that violence is the indispensable weapon to win freedom from foreign subjugation, but they ignore the power and historical role that nonviolent civilian-led resistance has played in many national quests for liberation.

This book brings to light the existence and impact of nonviolent organizing and defiance where it has not commonly been noticed. It argues that a number of historical struggles for national self-determination might not necessarily, or even primarily, have been won through violence. Instead, these struggles were decisively waged through diverse methods of nonviolent resistance led by ordinary people.1 Furthermore, during the unfolding process of civil resistance, it was often the force of population-driven, bottom-up, nonviolent mobilization that shaped nations’ collective identities (i.e., nationhood) and formed nascent national institutions and authorities (i.e., statehood). These processes were critical for an independent nation-state—more so than structural changes or violent revolutions that dominate the history of revolutionary struggles and nation making.

Recovering Civil Resistance

This book reveals little-known, but important, histories of civil resistance in national struggles for independence and against foreign domination throughout the world in the past 200 years. Often, these histories have been misinterpreted or erased altogether from collective memory, buried beneath nationally eulogized violence, commemorative rituals of glorified death, martyred heroes, and romanticized violent insurrections. In recovering hidden stories of civil resistance that involve diverse types of direct defiance and more subtle forms of everyday, relentless endurance and refusal to submit, this book shows how the actions of ordinary people have undermined the authority and control of foreign hegemons—colonizers and occupiers—and their domestic surrogates. Despite extreme oppression, the repertoire of nonviolent action has often helped societies survive and strengthen their social and cultural fabric, build economic and political institutions, shape national identities, and pave the way to independence. The narrative of the book contains a heuristic inquiry into forgotten or ignored accounts of civil resistance, showing how knowledge about historical events and processes is generated, distorted, and even ideologized in favor of violence-driven, structure-based, or powerholder-centric interpretations.”

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

1 Recovering Nonviolent History 1
Maciej J. Bartkowski

2 Identity Formation in Nonviolent Struggles 31
Lee A. Smithey

Part 1 Nonviolent Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa

3 Ghana: Nonviolent Resistance in the Independence
Movement, 1890s–1950s 51
Gail Presbey

4 Zambia: Nonviolent Strategies Against Colonialism,
1900s–1960s 71
Jotham C. Momba and Fay Gadsden

5 Mozambique: Liberation Myths and Resistance
Strategies, 1920s–1970s 89
Matt Meyer

Part 2 Nonviolent Resistance in North Africa and the Middle East

6 Algeria: Nonviolent Resistance Against French
Colonialism, 1830s–1950s 107
Malika Rahal

7 Egypt: Nonviolent Resistance in the Rise of a
Nation-State, 1805–1922 125
Amr Abdalla and Yasmine Arafa

8 Iran: Nonviolent Revolts, 1890–1906 143
Nikki R. Keddie

9 Palestine: Nonviolent Resistance in the Struggle for
Statehood, 1920s–2012 161
Dr. Mary Elizabeth King

Part 3 Nonviolent Resistance in Asia and Oceania

10 Burma: Civil Resistance in the Anticolonial Struggle,
1910s–1940 183
Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan

11 Bangladesh: Civil Resistance in the Struggle for
Independence, 1948–1971 199
Ishtiaq Hossain

12 West Papua: Civil Resistance, Framing, and Identity,
1910s–2012 217
Jason MacLeod

Part 4 Nonviolent Resistance in Europe

13 Hungary: Nonviolent Resistance Against Austria,
1850s–1860s 241
Tamás Csapody and Thomas Weber

14 Poland: Forging the Polish Nation Nonviolently,
1860s–1900s 259
Maciej J. Bartkowski

15 Kosovo: Civil Resistance in Defense of the Nation,
1990s 279
Howard Clark

Part 5 Nonviolent Resistance in the Americas

16 The United States: Reconsidering the Struggle for
Independence, 1765–1775 299

17 Cuba: Nonviolent Strategies for Autonomy and
Independence, 1810s–1902 319
Alfonso W. Quiroz

Part 6 Conclusion

18 Insights into Nonviolent Liberation Struggles 339
Maciej J. Bartkowski

Appendix: Conflict Summaries 355

List of Acronyms 407
Bibliography 409
The Contributors 415
Index 419
About the Book 436

Reviews

Greatly expand[s] our knowledge of not only the extent of nonviolent action, but how its dynamic operates and contributes to a society’s ethos.”
—Ralph Summy, Journal of Peace Education

“Due to this groundbreaking text, we now have greater access to the breadth [and] depth … of the people’s power.”
—Karen D. Crozier, International Journal on World Peace

“This very important book establishes beyond doubt the necessity of recording the history of nonviolent struggles throughout the world…. The authors’ accounts of actual struggles from nearly every continent demonstrate that we have available experience with powerful ways to wage conflicts and face problems without violence.”
—Gene Sharp, Albert Einstein Institution

“Recovering Nonviolent History brings to the fore the role of the masses in mobilizing for their emancipation from oppression in all its guises, using peaceful, nonviolent tactics…. It makes a substantive contribution to the existing body of knowledge on resistance struggles the world over.”
—Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chair, African Union Commission

“No single volume has ever explored the dynamics of nonviolent contention in as broad a range of contexts as Recovering Nonviolent History. It is an altogether indispensable volume.”
—Doug McAdam, Stanford University

Excerpts

“Most people look to historical accounts to understand how their own nations emerged and fought for their freedom. Such explanations, whether found in books or imparted through public ceremonies and national memories, often tell of violent battles and insurrections, victories and defeats in wars, and fallen heroes in armed struggles. These narratives support the common belief that violence is the indispensable weapon to win freedom from foreign subjugation, but they ignore the power and historical role that nonviolent civilian-led resistance has played in many national quests for liberation.

This book brings to light the existence and impact of nonviolent organizing and defiance where it has not commonly been noticed. It argues that a number of historical struggles for national self-determination might not necessarily, or even primarily, have been won through violence. Instead, these struggles were decisively waged through diverse methods of nonviolent resistance led by ordinary people.1 Furthermore, during the unfolding process of civil resistance, it was often the force of population-driven, bottom-up, nonviolent mobilization that shaped nations’ collective identities (i.e., nationhood) and formed nascent national institutions and authorities (i.e., statehood). These processes were critical for an independent nation-state—more so than structural changes or violent revolutions that dominate the history of revolutionary struggles and nation making.

Recovering Civil Resistance

This book reveals little-known, but important, histories of civil resistance in national struggles for independence and against foreign domination throughout the world in the past 200 years. Often, these histories have been misinterpreted or erased altogether from collective memory, buried beneath nationally eulogized violence, commemorative rituals of glorified death, martyred heroes, and romanticized violent insurrections. In recovering hidden stories of civil resistance that involve diverse types of direct defiance and more subtle forms of everyday, relentless endurance and refusal to submit, this book shows how the actions of ordinary people have undermined the authority and control of foreign hegemons—colonizers and occupiers—and their domestic surrogates. Despite extreme oppression, the repertoire of nonviolent action has often helped societies survive and strengthen their social and cultural fabric, build economic and political institutions, shape national identities, and pave the way to independence. The narrative of the book contains a heuristic inquiry into forgotten or ignored accounts of civil resistance, showing how knowledge about historical events and processes is generated, distorted, and even ideologized in favor of violence-driven, structure-based, or powerholder-centric interpretations.”

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