The non-violent protests of civil rights activists and anti-nuclear campaigners during the 1960s helped to redefine Western politics. But where did they come from? Sean Scalmer uncovers their history ...in an earlier generation's intense struggles to understand and emulate the activities of Mahatma Gandhi. He shows how Gandhi's non-violent protests were the subject of widespread discussion and debate in the USA and UK for several decades. Though at first misrepresented by Western newspapers, they were patiently described and clarified by a devoted group of cosmopolitan advocates. Small groups of Westerners experimented with Gandhian techniques in virtual anonymity and then, on the cusp of the 1960s, brought these methods to a wider audience. The swelling protests of later years increasingly abandoned the spirit of non-violence, and the central significance of Gandhi and his supporters has therefore been forgotten. This book recovers this tradition, charts its transformation, and ponders its abiding significance.
By scrutinising the philosophical and theoretical assumptions of proponents of nonviolent political action, for example the role of the state, the rule of law and the nature of social and political ...power, Ian Atack establishes nonviolence as a credible theme within Western political thought.
"Strategic Nonviolent Power proposes that the route to what Gandhi described as the "undreamt of and seemingly impossible discoveries" of nonviolent resistance is the application of rigorous science. ...Although not a simple science, Mattaini's application of ecological science grounded in the science of behaviour brings exceptional power to the struggle for justice and liberation. At a time when civil resistance is actively reshaping global political realities, the science of nonviolent struggle deserves the attention of the scientific, activist, strategic, military, spiritual, and diplomatic communities, as well as the informed public."--Publisher's description.
In the wake of September 11, 2001 religion is often seen as the motivating force behind terrorism and other acts of violence. Religion and Peacebuilding looks beyond headlines concerning violence ...perpetrated in the name of religion to examine how world religions have also inspired social welfare and peacemaking activism. Leading scholars from the Aboriginal, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions provide detailed analyses of the spiritual resources for fostering peace within their respective religions. The contributors discuss the formidable obstacles to nonviolent conflict transformation found within sacred texts and living traditions. Case studies of Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Cambodia, and South Africa are also examined as practical applications of spiritual resources for peace.
By scrutinising the philosophical and theoretical assumptions of proponents of nonviolent political action, for example the role of the state, the rule of law and the nature of social and political ...power, Ian Atack establishes nonviolence as a credible theme within Western political thought.
An emerging literature suggests that the success of social movements depends, partly, on their ability to garner support from third‐party groups. One factor that appears to predict support is social ...movements’ use of nonviolent (compared to violent) strategies to achieve their goals. However, this literature is not definitive. Herein, we report the results of a meta‐analysis of research that has assessed the effect of the use of nonviolence on third‐party support (k = 16, N = 4598). A small‐to‐moderate positive effect was observed, d = 0.25. Additionally, research that used a control or baseline comparison group suggested that using nonviolent strategies marginally (p = .090) increased people's willingness to help the movement (d = 0.17) while adopting violent strategies did not increase or decrease people's willingness to help the movement (d = −0.03). Publication bias was evidenced by bigger effect sizes of published (vs. unpublished) studies. Target (i.e., state vs. social issues) and location of the protest (i.e., domestic vs. foreign) were not significant moderators, whereas the context (i.e., real vs. hypothetical scenarios) was, although marginally. Results suggest that it behooves social movements to adopt nonviolent strategies if third‐party support is desired.
Introduction Psychotic disorders have been consistently associated with aggressive behaviors. Psychiatrists are frequently asked to perform assessment regarding potentially aggressive patients. Thus, ...many psychometric instruments can be useful for identifying the risk of violence and thereby offering appropriate treatment for these individuals. Objectives The aims of this study were to assess the risk of agressive behavior in inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and to determine its correlates. Methods Using face-to-face interviews, inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, in psychiatric department of the University Hospital in Sfax (Tunisia) were included in this cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, carried out between novembre 2020 and octobre 2022. The modified overt aggression scale (MOAS) and historical clinical risk management-20 (HCR-20) questionnaire were used for data acquisition. The HCR-20 score of 20 was used as threshold to divide the sample to violent patients (scoring>20) and non-violent patients (scoring ≤ 20). Results The sample consisted of 60 male inpatients. The mean age was 38.23± 10.37 years. In our sample, 68.3% were single, 35% didn’t reach the secondary educational level, 16.7% used psychoactive substance(s), 35% had prior criminal record, 30% had a history of suicidal attempt and 81.7% had previous hospitalization. The mean score of MOAS was 13.08±8.19. The mean total HCR-20 score was 19.25±5.26. The Historical, Clinical and Risk Management subscales showed mean scores of 8.33±2.96, 5.62±1.89, and 5.28±2.42, respectively. The violent patients represented 45% of the sample. The mean scores of the items H3, H10, C1, C2, C4 and R5 of HCR-20 were respectively : 1.33±0.79, 1.20±0.77, 1.22±0.88, 0.38±0.71, 1.30±0.64 and 1.28±0.73. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in socio-demographic factors. A history of suicidal attempts was significantly more common in the group of violent patients (p=0.029). Regarding the HCR subscales, H3 score (relationship instability) and H10 score (Prior supervision failure) were significantly higher among violent patients (p=0.018 and 0.003 respectively). The C1 score (lack of insight), the C2 score (negative attitudes) and the C4 score (impulsivity) were also significantly higher among violent patients (p=0.016, 0.009 and 0.005 rescpectively). The item R5 (stress) of the risk management subscale was significantly higher in the group of violent patients (p=0.003). The total MOAS score detected severe agression in the nonviolent group (p=0.031). Conclusions Our study suggests the efficacy of HCR-20 in identifying and distinguishing between violent and nonviolent patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The use of such reliable instrument in clinical psychiatric settings should be encouraged. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
“Some fleeting glimpse of utopia”. Nonviolence and the challenge of ethical-political planning in Judith Butler The thesis at the heart of this paper is that, in her latest text, The Force of ...Nonviolence. An Ethico-Political Bind, Judith Butler presents a moment of reflection with original aspects compared to her previous thought. She inaugurates here a new point of view in her thinking, through which also previous categories and concepts undergo a shift useful to actively act for the preparation of the future. By deepening and autonomizing the theme of nonviolence, the critical thinker intends to elaborate an ethical-political dimension that, keeping anarchic accents and shared inventiveness from below, wants to present itself as a credible and universalizable alternative. In this framework, not without shadows, complications and paradoxes, nonviolence takes on the shape of what embodies the utopian possibility, common to all human beings, to open a different, revolutionary future, where the reproduction of violence – both psychic, social and, finally and above all, institutional – is stopped, with a view to taking on the vulnerability and precariousness of living beings.
