Nonviolence, Political Power, and Social Change

Nonviolent political action is a powerful means of mobilizing popular, peaceful resistance to oppressive policies and regimes in pursuit of civil liberties, fundamental human rights, and more democratic government. In Nonviolence, Political Power, and Social Change, Iain Atack examines the relationship between nonviolence and political power, asking how nonviolent action can not only challenge existing structures of power but also, in itself, generate transformative social and political change.Drawing on the literatures on nonviolent resistance, Gandhism and anarchism, Atack distinguishes two contrasting dimensions of power: power-over (domination) and power-with (cooperation). He argues that power as domination ultimately depends on power as cooperation as its source: the power of those who govern depends on the cooperation, consent, and compliance of the governed, all of which can be withdrawn through nonviolent political action. Yet lasting change requires more than resistance; nonviolent action must engage with theories of social and political power to develop a three-dimensional understanding of nonviolence, combining structural analysis, ideological critique, and effective action. This approach can enable the creation of political institutions and social structures grounded in cooperation, while overcoming structural violence and domination as organizing principles of society.Offering a broad account of nonviolence as political action, this work is essential reading for those interested in organized nonviolence as an effective way for achieving change with a distinctive vision of political transformation.