Gandhi believed that the victim’s suffering could awaken the conscience of an oppressor. This process of conversion has been called moral jiu-jitsu, whereby the unexpected refusal to respond with violence makes the perpetrator lose their moral balance. While many, including Gandhi, have recognized that this process can take time, and often happens by way of […]
Archive | Videos
Weapons of Mass Democracy
In this article, originally published in September 2009, Stephen Zunes reveals how veterans of successful nonviolent movements are spreading their knowledge to activists around the world, who are increasingly adopting nonviolent action to overthrow dictatorial regimes or foreign occupiers. As he emphasizes, though, successful nonviolent revolutions are homegrown affairs that involve a large cross-section of the population, […]
Changing Sides Doesn’t Always Make for Transformation
Gene Sharp’s work revealed that the turning point in a nonviolent struggle occurs when the government responds with brutality. Sometimes this breaks the movement, or pushes the activists to pick up arms, typically leading to their defeat as the state has a far greater capacity for violence. In other cases, though, we see, what Sharp […]
Reclaiming Nonviolent History
Many people’s histories recount armed struggles and violent insurrections, but often forgotten are the central roles played by ordinary people in nonviolent action. How many of us have heard of the Palestinian Gandhis and Kings, or the fact that most of the original 13 colonies of the US had achieved de facto independence a year […]
An Introduction to Our Topic: Resistance
Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Hannah Arendt Of all the quotes that I have given my students to ponder, this one typically causes the most confusion. The idea of power and violence as opposites does not easily resonate. Consider one of the United States’ 10 active […]
An Introduction to Our Topic: Gender and Peacebuilding
But presently I would come to know you had arrived at some fresh decision more fatally foolish than ever. ‘Ah! My dear man,’ I would say, ‘what madness next!’ But he would only look at me askance and say: ‘Just weave your web, please; else your cheeks will smart for hours. War is men’s business!’ […]
Women’s Power to Stop War: Hubris or Hope
As the world’s oldest women’s international peace organization, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, prepared for its 100th anniversary this year, Cynthia Cockburn looked back to the roots of women’s peace activism, illustrating that from its beginning women took a holistic perspective, drawing out the links between women’s rights, social justice and peace. […]
Plotting a Woman-Shaped Peace: Syrian and Bosnian Women Confer
Wars eventually end, but the peace that is implemented may do little more than reinforce the divisions that deepened through war; the needs of ordinary people tend to be ignored as the male war leaders negotiate “peace”. In 2014, while the UN mediated Syrian peace talks, without any representation from the country’s women’s organizations, twenty […]
From Northern Ireland to Korea: The Power of Nonviolence and Love in Action
Seventy years ago Korea was divided into two separate states by the US and former Soviet Union — an event which precipitated the 1950–53 Korean War. The war resulted in the death of 4 million Koreans, mostly civilian, and left millions of families separated by a 2 mile wide demilitarized zone. This past May, thirty […]
Interweaving Peacebuilding and Film
International peacebuilding initiatives often fail to build the foundations needed for real and sustainable peace to emerge in post-conflict zones. Sierra Leonian human rights activist John Cukier recognized the need for a new approach in his country and joined up with Libby Hoffman, founder of a US peace organization, Catalyst for Peace, that is committed […]
Some More Resources for Teaching about Truth and Reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation initiatives are not new, but there seems to be new commitment to creating spaces where ordinary people, divided by their personal histories, can listen to each other. Here are a few of these powerful expressions of peacebuilding that can be examined in classes, and links to some resources that provide an understanding […]
Promoting Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians
“We must be honest about the real two solitudes in this country, that between Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens, and commit to doing tangible things to close the divide in awareness, understanding and relationships.” Marie Wilson, Commissioner of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission ********** Inspire Solutions and Dawson’s First Peoples Initiative recently hosted a talk by […]
Teaching about Truth and Reconciliation
There are so many wonderful materials to encourage our students to reflect on the real human potential for rebuilding relationships broken by violence while not understating the enormous difficulties involved. Here we focus on resources that encourage us to think about forgiveness and reconciliation through the personal lives of those on both sides of violence. […]
Confronting War’s Complexities in the Classroom
Zainab Salbi’s reminder that there are two sides to war; a devastating film from the NFB on the aftermath of war; the psychological trauma facing many returning soldiers; an ideal classroom text to introduce war’s complexities; and the increasing global outrage against armed drones. ********** Some Compelling Films and Videos that Reveal War’s Costs […]
Tackling Othering In and Out of the Classroom
Many pedagogical resources exist to help us respond to othering: UnderstandingPrejudice.org offers us tools to recognize our own assumptions about difference; A Class Divided reveals the lessons of Jane Elliott’s blue eyes/brown eyes experiment; living libraries help us see the individuals within the groups we devalue; and a couple of informative videos from our 2011 […]
From Violent Games to Socially Responsible Ones
Some psychological research on the effects of violent video games; a video interview with David Grossman on how understanding the behavior of soldiers in combat reveals the risks of media violence; some important links on socially responsible gaming. ****** The Effects of Violent Video Games Violence is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes; to create […]
Violence in Another Form: Sexism in Gaming Culture
Despite the fact that women make up a significant and growing percentage of gamers, the virtual world remains dominated by men and women, when represented, are shown in some very stereotypical ways. In several provocative videos, Anita Sarkeesian examines the limited and frequently disturbing images of women in video games. ****** Several years ago, media critic Anita Sarkeesian launched Feminist […]