Gene Sharp on Types of Nonviolence
Friday, July 29th, 2005|
Types of nonviolence |
Basis |
Characteristics |
|
Nonresistance |
principle-based |
rejects all violence; concerned with maintaining own integrity rather than with attempts at social reconstruction |
|
Passive resistance |
expediency-based |
not primarily self-initiated, motivated or directed, but mainly determined by the action of the opponent |
|
Moral resistance |
principle-based |
not as passive as believers in non-resistance; more in favour of gradualist reform of social order; quite vague and lacking in techniques for an active nonviolent attack on evil situation |
|
Active reconciliation |
principle-based |
involves active attempts to change the opponent through the use of good will and reconciliation; direct action and strategy are not involved |
|
Peaceful resistance |
partly a matter of principle, partly a matter of expediency |
more active than passive resistance; applies a certain amount of strategy |
|
Anti-authoritarian resistance |
may be a matter of principle or expediency |
not an objection to violence per se but rather to authoritarian governments, institutions, or individuals |
|
Selective nonviolence |
principle-based |
refusal to participate in particular violent conflicts; in some cases there may be no hesitation to use violence to accomplish desired ends or in personal relationships |
|
Nonviolent direct action |
may be a matter of principle or expediency |
refuses to continue cooperating with evil situation; actions aim at eliminating specific injustice; does not generally involve self purification |
|
Satyagraha |
principle-based |
developed by Gandhi; centres at the attainment of truth through love and right action; believes that the practice of love and self-suffering can bring about a change of heart in the opponent |
|
Nonviolent revolution |
principle-based |
sees basic or revolutionary change in individuals and society as the only way to solve problems; a unique combination of a fresh spiritual dynamism, a breaking through of the old crust with a deliberate attempt at creating a new social order through a nonviolent social revolution |
|
(Sharp 1957: 4-11 and 1968) |
||
