Nonviolent Resistance

We see nonviolent resistance all over today s world, fromEgypt s Tahrir Square to New York Occupy. Although wethink of the last century as one marked by wars and violentconflict, in fact it was just as much a century of nonviolence asthe achievements of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. andpeaceful protests like the one that removed Ferdinand Marcos fromthe Philippines clearly demonstrate. But what is nonviolence? What makes a campaign a nonviolent one, and how does it work? What values does it incorporate? In this unique study, Todd May, a philosopher who has himselfparticipated in campaigns of nonviolent resistance, offers thefirst extended philosophical reflection on the particular andcompelling political phenomenon of nonviolence. Drawing onboth historical and contemporary examples, he examines the conceptand objectives of nonviolence, and considers the different dynamicsof nonviolence, from moral jiu-jitsu to nonviolent coercion. May goes on to explore the values that infuse nonviolent activity,especially the respect for dignity and the presupposition ofequality, before taking a close-up look at the role of nonviolencein today s world. Students of politics, peace studies, and philosophy, politicalactivists, and those interested in the shape of current politicswill find this book an invaluable source for understanding one ofthe most prevalent, but least reflected upon, political approachesof our world.