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Copyright 2009 Lester Kurtz [email protected]! Nonviolent Civil Resistance:" Gandhi, King, and the " Long Arc of History!

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Copyright 2009 Lester Kurtz Lkurtz@Gmu.Edu! Nonviolent Civil Resistance: Copyright 2009 Lester Kurtz [email protected]! Nonviolent Civil Resistance:" Gandhi, King, and the " Long Arc of History! Strategic nonviolent action designed to resist injustice and bring about change without the use of violence.! Roots in ancient sacred texts and indigenous cultures, coalesced and diffused as a means of social change in the 20th century, promoting human rights and democracy, toppling systems of injustice and exploitation, restoring hope! September 11th 1906 Mahatma Gandhi Launches Nonviolent Civil Resistance • At the core of modern nonviolent is the Mahatma Gandhi! story of Mahatma Gandhi’s experiments, diffused around the world and entering into mainstream culture. Icon of Popular Modern Culture! Multiple Sources of Power! • Power of a regime, military police! – Power of the gun! – Repression, threats, sanctions! • People Power, “Truth Force”! – Analysis! • Pillars of support and ! !vulnerabilities of the system! – Noncooperation! – Mobilization! Long History of Development! • Infrastructure evolving over millennia! • Takes off in the 20th century! – Reflexive strategic thought parallel to military strategies! – Diffusion and institutionalization facilitated by communications, transportation revolutions! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2009 Lester Kurtz Email: [email protected]! Roots in the Ancient World The Buddha! Lao Tzu! Mahavir! Christianity Henry David Thoreau! Henry David Thoreau’s concept of civil disobedience represents a benchmark in legitimating resistance. Ralph Waldo Emerson visits him in prison and asks, “What are you doing in here?” “What are you doing out there” Thoreau replied.! Civil Resistance " Does Not Just Erupt! • Visible heroes are the proverbial tip of the iceberg! • Macro level! – Infrastructure for ! !mobilization! • Micro level! – Self development and ! !preparation! – Research and analysis! Infrastructure for mobilization" • Strategic knowledge and skills! – Repertoire of strategies and tactics! – Analysis and strategic planning! • Resources! – Material, people, etc.! – Existing institutions often provide a base: religious organizations, unions, universities! • Strategic framing of the issues! – Cultural resonance! • Political opportunities! – Triggering events, international alignments, repression management! Personal Preparation! • Commitment and discipline! – Social change vision! – Personal discipline! • Education, research, and analysis! – Strategic and tactical knowledge! – Research on structural context! • Pillars of support for the regime! • Movement allies and obstacles! – Creative imagination! Karmic Chains: A Case Study! • Civil resistance from Gandhi to King to …! The Making of a Mahatma! • Personal history! – Piety from his mother! – Politics from his father! • Broadened cultural horizons! – Studies law in England! – Works for Muslim traders ! !in South Africa! • Spiritual and intellectual development! – Broad cultural background! – Raw racism in South Africa! – Constructing a liberation theology! – Intense personal discipline out of spiritual practice! Vision of a new social order! • Borrowed from the Gita, Sermon on the Mount, Qur’an ! • Concept of Swaraj (self rule)! • Ethic of service! • Two hands of civil resistance! – Noncooperation with an unjust order! – Constructive work: building a replacement! Strategic thinking! • Observations and research! – Causes and consequences of oppression! – Best practices of social change! • Wisdom of spiritual traditions! • Thoreau, the Russian Revolution, workers’ movements, etc.! Strategic Action! • Resist: noncooperation! – Pass laws in S. Africa! – Textile boycott – core of British colonialism! – Salt March – choreographed noncooperation! • Build: constructive work! – Ashrams as models of the future! – Strategic nonviolent think tanks! Gandhi’s Ashrams " Experiments in building a New World! • Bringing together people across the divides: radical experiments! – Interfaith: Hindu, Muslim, ! !Christian, Jew! – Across caste and class! • Not easy for participants with deep prejudices! • Support system for Satyagrahis! – Energizing and training! – Provide for families when they ! !were in jail! – Strategic planning! From Gandhi’s Ashram to" American Activism! • David Dellinger - Harlem Commune! – Modeled after Gandhi’s ashrams! • George Houser: Methodist preacher’s son, Union Theological Seminary student! • Prison strike, 1941, ! !Danbury Federal Penitentiary! Experiments with desegregation! • Gandhi study group at the University of Chicago! – Chicago desegregation experiments, 1940s! • Montgomery, Alabama, 1954:! – Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Society! Bayard Rustin &! George Hauser! A Force More Powerful! Directed by !Steve York! Produced by !Mirian Zimmerman, Jack DuVall! Written by !Steve York! • Gene Sharp Systematization of " secularizes • 198 Categories Nonviolence! • Martin Luther King, Jr. baptizes • Christian rhetoric for an American audience • The Internet diffuses • Global spread of strategic nonviolent direct action • Montgomery bus boycott --> civil rights movement --> globalization of the Gandhi-King Legacy, emergence of civil resistance! • Toppling of the colonial system! • Human rights movements! • Prodemocracy movements! • Nonviolent insurgencies and the New Revolutions! Anti-colonial Movements! • India! • Zambia! • Ghana! • Tanzania ! • El Salvador! • Guatemala! • Iran! 1960s Social Movements! Nonviolent Movements Develop Nonviolent Civil Resistance! The US Laboratory for Social Change! • Women’s movement! • Anti-war movement! • Student movements! • Cultural movements! • Workers movements! Human Rights Movements! • Inspired by the US civil rights movement! • Legal Infrastructure for Human Rights! – Declaration of Human Rights! • US plays a key role! – United Nations and NGOs! Latin American Movements! • SERPAJ: ! !Servicio Paz y Justicio ! – Christian grassroots organization founded by Adolfo Perez de Esquivel! – In the service of peace & justice! Argentina: Mothers of the Disappeared! – 1977 Meeting in the Plaza de Mayo ! – Wore names of missing children embroidered on white head scarves! – Thursday afternoons every week! – December 10, 1982: 24-hour March of Resistance! • Thousand joined the Mothers! • Overwhelming discontent - military dictators restored civilian rule! • New elections 1983 – the military is out! Pro-democracy Movements! • Philippines (1986)! • South Korea (1987)! • Chile (1983-89)! • Mongolia (1989-90)! • Nepal (1989-90)! • Bangladesh (1989)! • Taiwan (1992)! • S. Africa (1984-91; 1993)! • Madagascar (1991-93)! IFOR! • Hildegard Goss-Mayr and Jean Goss! – Invited by the Catholic Base Communities of the Philippines to do nonviolence training! Soviet Bloc! • East Germany (1989)! • Poland (1980-81, 1989)! • Czechoslovakia (1989)! • Lithuania! • Latvia! • Yugoslavia! • USSR (1991)! Military Rule --> Democracy" in South America! • Brazil! • Chile! • Uruguay! • Argentina! • The force of civic resistance was a key factor in driving 50 of 67 transitions! • The presence of strong and cohesive nonviolent civic coalitions is the most important factor! Stephan and Chenoweth! • Want to bring about change?! – Nonviolence works better than violence ! Methods of Nonviolent Action! Protest and Persuasion! -Mass demonstrations! -Petitions ! -Protest funerals! -Speeches, letters! Noncooperation! -Civil disobedience! -Strikes (all types)! -Boycotts (economic, social, political)! -Resignation of posts! Intervention! -Sit-ins ! -Overloading facilities! -Nonviolent blockades! -Teach-ins ! -Nonviolent invasion! -Seeking imprisonment! Gene Sharp! • Secularized Gandhi - in India in the ‘50s! • Systematized Gandhi, then looked for historical examples! • 3 broad categories of action:! – Protest & persuasion! – Noncooperation ! – Intervention! Nonviolent Protest & Persuasion! • Personal statements! • Wider audience! • Group representations! • Symbolic public acts! • Pressures on individuals! • Drama & music! • Processions! • Honoring the dead! • Public assemblies! • Withdrawal & renunciations! Social Noncooperation! • Ostracism! • Noncooperation with social events, customs, institutions! – Boycotts of social affairs, strikes, withdrawal from institutions! • Withdraw from the social system! – Stay-at-home! – Sanctuary! – Protest emigration! Economic Noncooperation! 1) Economic boycotts! a. Action by consumers! b. Workers & producers! c. Middlemen! d. Owners & management! e. Holders of financial resources! f. Governments! Economic boycotts, cont’d! • 2) The strike! a. Symbolic! b. Agricultural! c. Special groups! d. Ordinary industrial strikes! e. Restricted strikes! f. Multi-industry strikes - General Strike! g. Combination of strikes & economic closures! a. hartal! Political Noncooperation! • Rejection of authority! • Citizens’ noncooperation with government! – Boycott of legislative bodies, elections employment! – Withdrawal from government educational institutions! • Citizens’ alternatives to obedience! – Reluctant & slow compliance! – Popular, disguised disobedience! – sit-down! Political noncooperation, cont’d! • Action by government personnel! – Selective refusal of assistance by aides! – Blocking of lines of command & information! – Stalling & obstruction ! • Domestic Governmental Action! – Quasi-legal evasions & delays! Nonviolent Intervention! • Psychological! • Physical! • Social! • Economic! • Political! Principles of Strategic Nonviolent Conflict" (Ackerman and Kruegler)! • Principles of Development! – Formulate functional objectives!
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