Making Peace and Conflict Studies Whole: Adding Civil Resistance to the Mix

There are times when diplomacy, dialogue, mediation, and conflict prevention efforts are not sufficient by themselves to win rights, freedom, and justice. Recent research also documents that nonviolent civil resistance campaigns are more effective than just using “normal institutional channels” such as elections, lobbying, and litigation, one-off mass protests, or violent rebellions whenever undemocratic power elites dominate a county’s economic and political life. This has been shown to be true in dictatorships, authoritarian societies, and in formal or backsliding democracies. Can peace and conflict studies programs be complete without exploring civil resistance movements and strategies? What resources are available to faculty members wanting to learn about and teach civil resistance? This workshop will share the many free academic resources available from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict to peace and conflict studies faculty.