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The Dynamics of Civil Resistance

January 12, 2016 by intern3

Jack DuVall
President
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

The modern practice of civil resistance sprang from ideas about the underlying nature of political power that began to be framed about 170 years ago. As later developed by Gandhi and adopted by scores of movements and campaigns for rights and justice in recent decades, strategies of civil resistance have exhibited a common dynamic, propelled historic changes, and imparted certain political and social properties to their societies. The record of these strategies in liberating oppressed people, when compared to that of violent insurgency or revolt, has been remarkable – and suggests why political violence may substantially be reduced in the future.

Additional Resources:

  • DuVall, Jack.  Civil Resistance and the Language of Power.
  • Hardy Merriman – Why Learn About Civil Resistance? (video)
  • Jack DuVall – Why Learn About Civil Resistance? (video)
  • Dr. Stephen Zunes – Why Learn About Civil Resistance? (video)

Filed Under: Academic Support Initiatives, Fletcher Summer Institute

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