Module 5: [Oct 6-13] Civil resistance and political protest: its origins and effectiveness. Group project proposal due Fri Oct 15, 6p.

Oct 6 (W): 12. Why strategic nonviolent civil resistance might be more effective than violent revolt.

- Erica Chenoweth, “Civil Resistance and the ‘3.5% Rule,’” [video lecture] TEDxBoulder (Nov 4, 2013) [read annotated transcript with citations here], Chenoweth TEDx.pdf or https://youtu.be/YJSehRlU34w
- Charles E. Cobb, Jr., This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed (New York: Basic Books, 2014), 1-7, 38-44, Cobb.pdf
- Optional: Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, “Drop Your Weapons: When and Why Civil Resistance Works,” Foreign Affairs 93 (Jul/Aug 2014), 94-106, Chenoweth Stephan FA 2014.pdf
- Resource for discussion: the "Battle of Hayes Pond" in Maxton, NC, Jan 1958 (see WP Oct 5, 2021)
- Resource for discussion: why Nelson Mandela & the African National Congress adopted a strategy of violent resistance in 1961

Oct 11 (M): Fall Break. No class.

Oct 13 (W): 13. Collective action and protest in authoritarian settings. Case studies: Egypt & Hong Kong.

- Emad El-Din Shahin, “The Egyptian Revolution: The Power of Mass Mobilization and the Spirit of Tahrir Square,” Journal of the Middle East and Africa 3 (2012), 46-69, Shahin.pdf
- Jen Kirby, “9 Questions about the Hong Kong Protests You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask,” Vox [blog] (Nov 26, 2019), Kirby.pdf

Discussion: anytime until the start of the first class session in the next module, post in the Module 5 Discussion Thread if you have questions about the readings, want to highlight a current events example of a point that is related, or to react to another's student's post constructively. Or post your 'muddiest point' - something that confused you most from one of these class sessions. This is optional but will count towards your participation points for the whole semester as noted in the syllabus.

Recordings: Session 12 (Oct 6); Session 13 (Oct 13)

Your workflow for any upcoming session:

Look at the learning objectives and discussion questions for the next upcoming session
Do the readings for the upcoming session before it meets
Revisit the learning objectives & discussion questions - can you meet or answer them?
Check in on the module discussion thread: post questions, or comments - Module 5 Discussion
Attend class and participate
Check back in on the same module discussion thread: post about your 'muddiest point,' the issue or idea you were most confused about from the past session, or a follow-up comment you want to make in response to something that came up in discussion
...and this module ends with an assignment, the Group Project Proposal, due Fri Oct 15, 6p.

In Session 12 We Will...

Define 'civil resistance'
Analyze & evaluate Chenoweth et al.'s argument about why (nonviolent) civil resistance can be more effective than violent revolt

Session 12 Discussion Questions

What is 'civil resistance,' and how is it distinct from violent revolt? Does it entail something more than simple peaceful protest? Can you identify examples?
Why does Chenoweth argue that it can be more effective than violent revolt?
What preconditions or assumptions are necessary for civil resistance to work in this way?
Why do some protests successfully adhere to 'civil resistance' principles while others devolve into violence?
What is Cobb's argument about the respective importances of nonviolence and also of the potential for violent self-defense in the US civil rights movement? In what ways were the participants and local Black community members in the civil rights movement prepared to use violence in self-defense, in his argument, and how if at all did that boost collective action and improve the movement's success? Do you agree with his argument in that regard? What would Chenoweth's take on this question be?
Some resources we may use:
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/28/this-nonviolent-stuffll-get-you-killed/
- https://www.npr.org/transcripts/944615029
- https://www.salon.com/2014/06/14/guns_made_civil_rights_possible_breaking_down_the_myth_of_nonviolent_change/
- https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/24/case-black-american-self-defense-protests/
- https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/ON9XND
- NAVCO 1.3 List.xlsx

In Session 13 We Will...

Describe, explain, and evaluate the role of collective action in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution
Compare that to other mass protest situations, e.g., Hong Kong protests in 2020, etc.

Session 13 Discussion Questions

What distinguished the Egyptian 2011 revolution, as Shahin characterizes it, pps. 48+?
Why did the revolution happen in Jan 2011 and not earlier? Role of structural causes? How uniquely sufficient to explain this outcome are they? What conditions propagated by the regime and its prior policies and practices gave rise to this protest and to this form of protest? (role of mass unorganized groups due to party repression, newness of mass groups meaning that regime didn’t have intelligence on their members, etc.)
How did this leaderless revolution arise? How did it successfully coordinate on one single message and demand?
1. Contrast with the carefully orchestrated, pre-planned, well-trained & -recruited, US civil rights movement typified by John Lewis & Freedom Summer
2. Contrast with ‘Occupy’ movement in US in last decade…
3. US Jan 6 Capitol protest/insurrection?
4. Compare to the Hong Kong case discussed in the other reading
Why did individual people join the Egyptian protests?
The role of information. What are protesters and potential protesters learning from each other, from the situation, from the reaction of the government & military?
The role of social media. What role did it play in helping protesters coordinate?
The role of nonviolence. How did the group discipline itself to adhere to this principle? Did this strategy make it more effective? Compare to US civil rights movement…
What does it do to this spirit of Tahrir Square that the military took the government over after only 2 years, in 2013? [Scene from Hulu show “Ramy” with Ramy talking with his cousin Shadi… ‘Dude, where’s my country?’]
Compare this movement and its result to protests occurring today around the world, in Hong Kong, Iraq, Ecuador, Catalonia, Venezuela, Gaza, Myanmar

Additional Resources

Vox video explainer of Hong Kong protests: https://youtu.be/6_RdnVtfZPY