GLOS1917: The Politics of Non-violence

What sets non-violence apart from other forms of political resistance is its peculiarly democratic nature. To begin with, its practitioners adhere to the principle of respecting the humanity and equality of those whom they fight against. Moreover, as Gandhi notes, it is democratic in the sense that while it requires immense self- discipline, it is nevertheless a universally available weapon. This course provides a historical exploration of some of the concepts and practices of non-violence. The questions we shall be exploring are: Why is it only in the twentieth century that non-violence as a political ideology can be articulated? What is the violence that non-violence eschews? Why is the language of self-transformation and self-sacrifice so important to non-violent movements? What specific practices of non-violence does non-violence involve? Why do some of the most powerful practitioners of non-violence, such as Gandhi or MLK, describe their practices in religious terms? When can non-violent politics reinforce existing injustices, or unwittingly collude in more subtle forms of violence? When do non-violent movements succeed, and what would count as “success” for non-violent politics? What role can and does it play in the contemporary world, which has been transformed by social media, deeper state penetration, and more intense social divisions, and where mobilizations such as BLM, the Arab Spring, or the Umbrella movement still draw on the concepts and practices of non-violence? We shall be reading both some of the most famous practitioners and thinkers of non-violence, and some of their trenchant critics—Thoreau, Gandhi, MLK, Arendt, Fanon, Thurman, Mandela, amongst others.

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