The Politics and Power of Nonviolence POLS7514

The Politics and Power of Nonviolence with Dr Cormac Opdebeeck-Wilson

Violence is often viewed as the ultimate manifestation of power. It permeates the societies we live in. In this course we challenge the ethical foundations of this view and explore how nonviolence can be an effective way of yielding power and promoting social change. Making use of historical and contemporary case studies, we examine a wide range of nonviolent strategies, from strikes and civil disobedience to street protests and everyday resistance. They reveal how nonviolence offers pathways to political transformation when normal institutionalised politics fails to provide justice.