This is an excellent collection of case studies knitted together by the editors' presentation of a sound set of theoretical issues. Both help us understand the dynamics of nonviolent social movements. Paul Joseph, Tufts University
A timely book. Pacifica Review
Lester R. Kurtz is a professor of sociology and Asian studies at the University of Texas, Austin. His research focuses on the analysis of social conflict, the sociology of culture and religion, and global social theory. His other books include Gods in the Global Village: The World's Religions in Sociological Perspective (1995) and The Web of Violence: From Interpersonal to Global (co-edited with Jennifer Turpin, 1997). He is editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict (1999).
Sarah Beth Asher is an independent researcher and has lived and worked in the Middle East, India, China, and Europe, where she served in the US Army Medical Corps. She has been involved in research on violence as a public health issue.
Notes on Editors and Contributors.
Introduction.
PART I. PERSPECTIVES ON NONVIOLENT MOVEMENTS.
1. Nonviolence and Power in the Twentieth Century (Kenneth E. Boulding).
2. You Can't Kill the Spirit: Women and Nonviolent Action (Pam McAllister).
PART II. THE MIDDLE EAST.
Introduction.
3. Unarmed Resistance in the Middle East and North Africa (Stephen Zunes).
4. Nonviolent Resistance in the Occupied Territories: A Critical Reevaluation (Souad Dajani).
PART III. EUROPE.
Introduction.
5. The Grassroots Movement in Germany, 1972-1985 (Matthew Lyons).
6. We Have Bare Hands: Nonviolent Social Movements in the Soviet Bloc (Lee Smithey and Lester R. Kurtz).
PART IV. ASIA.
Introduction.
7. The Origins of People Power in the Philippines (Stephen Zunes).
8. Imagery in the 1992 Nonviolent Uprising in Thailand (Chaiwat Satha-Anand).
9. Violent and Nonviolent Struggle in Burma: Is a Unified Strategy Workable (Michael A. Beer).
PART V. AFRICA.
Introduction.
10. The Ogoni Struggle for Human Rights and a Civil Society in Nigeria (Joshua Cooper).
11. The Role of Nonviolence in the Downfall of Apartheid (Stephen Zunes).
PART VI. LATIN AMERICA.
Introduction.
12. Advocating Nonviolent Direct Action In Latin America: The Antecedents and Emergence of SERPAJ (Ronald Pagnucco and John D. McCarthy).
13. The Brazilian Church-State Crisis of 1980: Effective Nonviolent Action in a Military Dictatorship (Daniel Zirker).
PART VII. NORTH AMERICA.
Introduction.
14. Nonviolent Social Movements in the United States: A Historical Overview (Charles Chatfield).
Conclusion (Stephen Zunes and Lester R. Kurtz).
Index.