Unique Interview with Prof Gene Sharp
Stellan Vinthagen March 4th, 2009
In Boston, just about a week ago, two members of the Resistance Studies Network, Jörgen Johansen and I, did an interview with the classic researcher on nonviolent resistance: Gene Sharp, in Boston, USA. The interview is taped by the film-maker Ninja Thyberg and will be made into a tutoring video later on.
Gene Sharp wrote the ground breaking book: The Politics of Nonviolent Action in 1973. It was the first real research in which the thinking and practice of Mohandas K. Gandhi became part of the political theory.
Sharp developed in his PhD a power theory of consent, claiming that the power of rulers depend on the consent of those ruled. If their consent was withdrawn – through strikes, non-cooperation, civil disobedience, etc. – then the rulers would not be able to rule anymore. From this basic point Sharp developed his detailed theory of nonviolent strategies and methodologies, documenting more than 198 methods already being used in the history in various contexts and in different periods of history.
Today, after numerous books and articles, Gene Sharp is the giant of nonviolent resistance research. His work has inspired several resistance movements in the world. For the most comprehensive collection of his work, see the Albert Einstein Institution.
The unique interview is important since it is done by two researchers on nonviolent resistance, and focus on the problems and criticism of that exists. Thus, it is a video that will display a critical discussion on the potential of nonviolent resistance.
- Academia , Civil Disobedience , Nonviolent Action , Resistance Studies , War
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