Political struggles aimed at undermining the existing political order have been a pervasive feature of global politics. Modern states have constantly been sites of relentless challenges from their citizenry, which sometimes take the form of non-violent action while on other occasions manifest in terrorism and violence. This course introduces students to the politics of disruption - violent and non-violent struggles targeted at bringing about political change. Can non-violent resistance succeed against a coercive state? Why do individuals and groups participate in high-risk political struggles?
What explains patterns of violence in civil conflicts? What are the effects of violence? What facilitates peace? This course will enable you to answer these questions. The course will begin with an examination of alternatives to political violence. The focus will be on India's non-violent struggle for independence from the British rule under the leadership of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the civil rights movement in the United States led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa with Dr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in the lead. We will compare and contrast the approaches of Gandhi, King and Mandela -- three iconic figures of the last century. We will also spend time discussing the so-called `infrapolitics'; -- a term coined by James Scott to denote all expressions of resistance that are not easily noticeable, but nonetheless constitute expressions of defiance in the struggle of the subordinate against the dominant. Students will be familiarized with definitional, conceptual and practical distinctions between various forms and manifestations of violent and non-violent struggles. To facilitate a better understanding, we will study a carefully-selected list of cases in-depth during the course of the semester. Our discussion on political violence will be structured around four broad themes, which are:
a. Causes underlying violence;
b. Dynamics of conflict -- focusing on such questions as who participates in violent activities, how violence and violent actors are organized, and what can we learn from the pattern of violence;
c. Consequences of violence, both short-term and long-term; and
d. Prevention and termination of violence.