The Politics of Nonviolent Action

by Gene Sharp, Marina Finkelstein (Editor)

symbolic public acts

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Activism, Philosophy, Political Science, History, Theory

902 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1973

About the author

Gene Sharp was an American political scientist. He was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study of nonviolent action, and professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He was known for his extensive writings on nonviolent struggle, which have influenced numerous anti-government resistance movements around the world.
Sharp received the 2008 Int’l Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his lifelong commitment to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through scholarly analysis of the power of nonviolent action. Unofficial sources have claimed that Sharp was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, and had previously been nominated three times, in 2009, 2012 and 2013. Sharp was widely considered the favorite for the 2012 award. In 2011, he was awarded the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. In 2012, he was a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award for "developing and articulating the core principles and strategies of nonviolent resistance and supporting their practical implementation in conflict areas around the world".

Reviews

[Moi]

i heard this morning on NPR that certain members of the egyptian resistance responsible for the hosni mubarak ouster relied heavily on gene sharp's philosophies and credit him with a large part of their successful nonviolent revolutionary strategy. i had to add his works to my list.

available for free download here: http://www.aeinstein.org/

[Christopher Byram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first discovered this book when it was referenced on Khan Academy, in the YouTube video 'Nonviolence and Peace Movements: Crash Course World History 228' uploaded by the channel CrashCourse, in the article '‎WATCH: Nonviolence and Peace Movements', in Unit 7, in the course 'World History Project - Origins to the Present'. In the video, the narrator, John Green, states that the author, a historian, published this multi-volume book which was reportedly read by a lot of the original protesters in the Arab Spring of 2011, which "reminds us that non-violent resistance movements advocating for and in some cases achieving political change are not just part of history, they are also part of the world in which we live today."

[Rafelmenmell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sólo he leído un resumen en español, así que no puedo opinar sobre la obra entera. Quería conocer la relación del libro con el proceso independentista catalán. Muchas de las ideas del mismo se han usado en este, en concreto deslegitimizar la acción del estado poniendo en duda su autoridad, socavar su autoridad mediante la no cooperación, azuzar la respuesta violenta del estado para buscar la respuesta externa.
Pienso que cuando Sharp escribió esta obra no pensaba en un movimiento burgués y rico contra un estado democrático.
Está claro que la respuesta del estado debe ser usar las armas que lo son propias: la autoridad y la coacción punitiva mediante el imperio de la ley.

[Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Pascal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reference in nonviolent action, many examples and a great writing style.