A Holistic Approach to Nonviolence: From a Philosophy of Life to a Strategy for Managing State Repression. A Review of the Following: Advancing Nonviolence and Social Transformation: New Perspectives on Nonviolent Theories

摘要

Nonviolence studies has been receiving increasing attention in recent years as an effective means to bring about social change (see Chenoweth, Pinckney, & Lewis, 2018). In what follows, we review two recent books on nonviolence, Advancing Nonviolence and Social Transformation, edited by Heather Eaton and Lauren Michelle Levesque, and The Paradox of Repression and Nonviolent Movements, edited by Lester R. Kurtz and Lee A. Smithey. The importance of the former work lies in its approach to the concept of nonviolence. In several introductory chapters, Heather Eaton and Lauren Michelle Levesque place nonviolence in its historical context, an approach that provides the readership with a deeper insight into the dynamics of nonviolence. Moreover, it discusses nonviolence not only as a strategy to bring about social change but also as a philosophy of life. Finally, after examining the dynamics as well as the functionality of nonviolence in various contexts, including, but not limited to, suppression of indigenous people, subjugation of women, and ecological concerns, they put forth new ideas regarding how creative nonviolent strategies can motivate the current and future generations to treat each other and the natural environment with less violence and more respect.