Plenary II: Nonviolence in Action: Why Civil Resistance Works and the Role of Religion

Can nonviolence be a practical and sufficient method of dealing with violence? This is a common question. Regardless of any suspicion about nonviolence’s feasibility for facilitating change, however, nonviolent resistance is a way for ordinary people to advance rights, freedoms, and democracy using methods such as protests, strikes, and boycotts, and it has historically been twice as effective as armed struggle in achieving major goals. From Indian independence to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, to the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa, to “people power” in the Philippines, to the first Palestinian Intifada, to recent pro-democracy campaigns in Hong Kong, Sudan, and Guatemala, nonviolent resistance has been a powerful force for change – although it has not always succeeded. This talk explores the power and potential of civil resistance during a time of rising authoritarianism and political violence in the U.S. and around the world, with a focus on the crucial role of religion and religious actors in advancing nonviolent change and examining what it means to move from theory to practice.