Differing Approaches

Peace and Conflict

Lecture 5
Monday January 31 2011

PEACE ST 1A03: Introduction to Peace Studies

Dr Colin Salter, Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University

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 Outline

• Conflict as positive
• Nonviolence
• Direct Action
• Conflict Transformation

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 Questions

• Reflect on commonalities and contradictions

• Means and ends
• Empowerment

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Conflict is not a synonym for violence. Violence is only
one possible response to conflict —  a collective
expression, or political tool to achieve ends.

Jake Lynch & Annabel McGoldrick (2005)

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Amazing scene: three tanks roll by with a crowd of
people riding atop each one. Chanting 'Hosni Mubarak
out!' #Egypt
Sharif Abdel Kouddous, 29 January 2011

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Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is
cooperation with good.
Mohandas K. Gandhi

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 Consent theory of power

...people in society may be divided into rulers and

subjects; the power of rulers derives from consent by
the subjects; non-violent action is a process of
withdrawing consent and thus a way to challenge the
key modern problems of dictatorship, genocide, war
and systems of oppression.

Brian Martin (1989) on Gene Sharp

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 Citations & further reading
Martin Buber (1939) Letter to Gandhi. Text available online — http://
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/BuberGandhi.html

Parke Burgess (2009) ‘Auschwitz, Martin Buber, and Gandhi’, Our Tragic Flaw: a case for
nonviolence, http://www.ourtragicflaw.com/blog/2009/3/5/auschwitz-martin-buber-
and-gandhi.html

Melanie Joy (2009) Why we love dogs, eat pigs, and wear cows: An introduction to
carnism. San Francisco: Conari Press.

Melanie Joy (2001) ‘From carnivore to carnist: Liberating the language of meat’,
Satya, 8(2), 26-27.

Lewis Lipsitz, & Herbert M. Kritzer (1975) 'Unconventional Approaches to Conflict

Resolution', Journal of Conflict Resolution, 19(4): 713-733.

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 Citations & further reading
Jake Lynch & Annabel McGoldrick (2005). Peace Journalism. Gloucestershire:
Hawthorn Press.

Brian Martin (2008) ‘How nonviolence is misrepresented’, Gandhi Marg, Vol. 30,
No. 2, pp. 235-257

Kate McGuinness (1993) 'Gene Sharp's Theory of Power: A Feminist Critique of

Consent', Journal of Peace Research, 30(1): 101-115 Marc Howard Ross (1993) The
Culture of Conflict, New Haven and London:Yale University Press.

Hugh Miall (2004) Conflict Transformation: a multi-dimensional task, Berghoff Research

Centre for Constructive Conflict Management. PDF available online at http://
www.berghof-handbook.net/uploads/download/miall_handbook.pdf

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 Citations & further reading
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964) ‘Acceptance Speech’, The Nobel Peace Prize,
December 10.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-acceptance.html

Alex Madrigal (2010) ‘Egyptian Activists' Action Plan: Translated’. The Atlantic, January
27. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/01/egyptian-activists-
action-plan-translated/70388/

Martin Oppenheimer (1969) The Urban Guerrilla, Chicago: Quadrangle Books.

Gene Sharp (1973) The Politics of Nonviolent Action: Part One - Power and Struggle,
Boston: Porter Sargent.

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 Image sources
Peace flag, original source unknown.

Marc Riboud. Jan Rose Kasmir, protest against the Vietnam War outside the Pentagon, Arlington County,
Virginia, Saturday, 21 October, 1967 — http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Rose_Kasmir

Elisa Iannacone. As leaders of the G20 nations gathered in Toronto, Canada, protesters took to the streets
[caption]. ‘G20 summit protests in Toronto :Your pictures’, BBC News, 27 June 2010 — http:// www.bbc.co.uk/
news/10427404

‘The U.S. vs. John Lennon’ reproduced from Jürgen Fauth’s Muckworld — http://jurgenfauth.com/2007/02/14/the-
us-vs-john-lennon/

Demonstrations in Egypt turn violent, while some demonstrators kiss the police, MSNBC PhotoBlog, January 28,
2001 — http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/28/5941833-demonstrations-in-egypt-turn-violent-
while-some-demonstrators-kiss-the-police

Women of Egypt photo collection, January 2011 —

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=268523&id=586357675

Seattle 1999 WTO demonstrations, Libtech Snowboards catalog, 2001

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