Synopses & Reviews
Despite the fact that two of the 20th centurys most monumental revolutions achieved their aims through nonviolent action, the world continues to view nonviolence as a passive, ineffectual tactic. In this short and powerful book, renowned peace activist Michael Nagler challenges this assertion, demonstrating that nonviolence succeeds through aggressively strategic and sustained action. It demands greater courage and discipline than violence.
Distilling the core theories of nonviolence and drawing deeply from the lives of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., this action-oriented handbook offers both guidance for nonviolent resistance and advice for building constructive movements capable of restructuring the very bedrock of society. Nagler also includes stories of successful nonviolent resistance that have been ignored by the mass media. The book features a list of resources that offer pathways to immediate action and engagement with the peace movement worldwide.
Synopsis
"Nonviolence is not the recourse of the weak but actually calls for an uncommon kind of strength; it is not a refraining from something but the engaging of a positive force," renowned peace activist Michael Nagler writes. Here he offers a step-by-step guide to creatively using nonviolence to confront any problem and to build change movements capable of restructuring the very bedrock of society. Nagler identifies some specific tactical mistakes made by unsuccessful nonviolent actions such as the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and the Occupy protests and includes stories of successful nonviolent resistance from around the world, including an example from Nazi Germany. And he shows that nonviolence is more than a tactic--it is a way of living that will enrich every area of our lives.
About the Author
Michael N. Nagler is the founder and president of the Metta Center for Nonviolence. He cofounded the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at UC Berkeley, where he is professor emeritus of classics and comparative literature. Among other awards, he received the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundations International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India in 2007, joining other distinguished contributors to nonviolence such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He is the author of The Search for a Nonviolent Future, which received a 2002 American Book Award. A popular speaker, he speaks to colleges, religious institutions, and other groups.
Ann Wright is Col., US Army (ret) and recipient, State Department Award for Heroism.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: What Is Nonviolence?
A Positive Force
Transmutation of anger
Personal Discipline
Fight, Flight, and the Third Option
Chapter Two: Basic Training
Cultivating Nonviolent Power
Hate the Sin, not the Sinner
Civilian Based Defense
Chapter Three: Right Means:
a. Clinging to Truth
b. Knowing Your Conflict
The Law of Suffering
Satyagraha
Chapter Four: Compromise for the Sake of the Goal
Symbols are Not Enough
Work vs. “Work”
How to Choose your Goals
Chapter Five: A Constructive Program
Power Begins With One
Tear It Down, Build It Up
Firm Flexibility
Chapter Six: Coping With Success
Recognizing Success
Avoiding Psychology of the Victors
Resources