What is waging nonviolence?
Practically speaking, it’s the alternative to the more commonly (and regrettably) used phrase “waging war.” Anecdotally, it’s the title of a book that was one of Gandhi’s only possessions. It also speaks to the focus of this blog, which is the use of nonviolent methods—such as strikes, boycotts, or sit-ins—by people around the world everyday in their struggles for justice, often under the most difficult of circumstances.

Defining nonviolence
We consider nonviolence to be an intensely active struggle for peace and justice by the only means worthy of the goal. We reject the use of force that injures an opponent physically, mentally, or spiritually because, as Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote shortly before his death, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.”

Approaches to nonviolence
King and Gandhi believed in the basic moral superiority of nonviolence. Scholars today describe that approach as “principled nonviolence,” and we consider ourselves firmly rooted in it. However, we also find inspiration in “strategic nonviolence,” which recognizes nonviolence as simply the most effective method of resistance to injustice. The strategic approach has been touted by many recent movements, including the Green Revolution in Iran. With its emphasis on tactics and results, we consider it a natural compliment to the moral and spiritual emphasis of the principled approach.

Our content
Stories about nonviolent activism often go largely unnoticed, overshadowed by the gluttonous fixations of the mainstream media. Yet it is happening all around us in response to the world’s most pressing challenges. Waging Nonviolence is a source for news, analysis, and original reporting about the practice of nonviolence, as well as for discussion of the theory behind it. By drawing attention to such efforts, the site is a constant reminder that Margaret Mead was right when she said that a “small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”

Discussion
It’s through conversation that we come closest to the truth. Gandhi spent his life perfecting methods of nonviolent activism, which is why he titled his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth. “Far be it from me to claim any degree of perfection for these experiments,” he wrote. “I claim for them nothing more than does a scientist who, though he conducts his experiments with the utmost of accuracy, forethought and minuteness, never claims any finality about his conclusions, but keeps an open mind regarding them.” We try to do the same when writing about other people’s experiments with truth and invite others—including activists, scholars, students, and critics, as well as those just discovering nonviolence—to leave constructive comments and submit posts of their own.

Getting involved
If you would like to contribute to Waging Nonviolence please look over our Writer’s Guidelines.

Classroom guide
Here are some tips for teachers and professors interested in using this site in their classrooms.

Internship Announcement
We are looking for an intern with research and writing skills, an interest in social justice, and experience with online media. Read more to apply.

EDITORS:

Eric Stoner is a freelance journalist based in New York and an adjunct professor at St. Peter’s College. His articles have appeared in The Guardian,  Mother Jones, The Nation, In These Times and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He currently sits on the Publications Committee of the War Resisters League’s WIN Magazine, and the advisory board of the Center for Peacemaking at Marquette University. Visit his website at EricStoner.net.

Bryan Farrell is a New York-based writer, covering topics that range from the environment and climate change to foreign policy and militarism. His work has appeared in Mother Jones, The Providence Journal, The Guardian, The Nation, In These Times, Plenty and Earth Island Journal. Visit his website at BryanFarrell.com.

Nathan Schneider writes about religion, reason, and violence for publications including The Boston Globe, Commonweal, Seed, Religion Dispatches, AlterNet, and others. He is also an editor at Killing the Buddha. Visit his website at TheRowBoat.com.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Randall Amster, J.D., Ph.D., teaches Peace Studies at Prescott College, and is the Executive Director of the Peace & Justice Studies Association. His most recent book is the co-edited volume Building Cultures of Peace: Transdisciplinary Voices of Hope and Action (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009).

Jerica Arents is a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. She is a graduate student at Loyola University Chicago and a member of Kairos Chicago. She can be reached at: jerica.arents[at]gmail.com

Toban Black is a Sociology Phd student, a weblogger, a photographer, and a community organizer based in London, Ontario. Post-Carbon London is his primary organizing commitment.

Eli Braun works in Cincinnati, Ohio, for evidence-based reform of the criminal justice system. He previously tutored GED classes at a New York State maximum-security prison. He can be reached at: eli.wnv[at]gmail.com

Anna Brown teaches political science and is the Director of the Social Justice program at Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ. She is a member of the Kairos community, Witness Against Torture, and the Garden State-Los Amates (El Salvador) Sister Cities Program. She can be reached at: ajbspc[at]earthlink.net.

Ladd Everitt is the Director of Communications at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a volunteer with the D.C. Crisis Response Team, and a neophyte practitioner of non-violence.

Jasmine Faustino is an assistant editor at St. Martin’s Press. She is active in various organizations around New York City including the Catholic Worker, Project HAPPY, and afghans for Afghans. She lives in Brooklyn.

Stephen Flohr is a peace activist and member of the International Solidarity Movement. He currently serves as a missionary with LAMP Ministries in New York City. He can be reached at: flohr[at]hotmail.com.

Jim Haber is the Coordinator of Nevada Desert Experience (NDE) which organizes interfaith resistance to nuclear weapons and war. Jim is on the War Resisters League National Committee, and he edited the 2008 WRL Peace Calendar. Jim is also very active with Jewish Voice for Peace, the G.I. Rights Hotline and the Catholic Worker movement. He can be reached at: jim[at]nevadadesertexperience.org.

Luke Hansen, S.J., a member of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), is studying to become a Catholic priest. Currently, he is a graduate student in philosophy and theology at Loyola University Chicago, and is a member of Kairos Chicago, a faith and resistance community dedicated to nonviolence and Gandhian experiments with truth. He can be contacted at: lukejhansen[at]yahoo.com.

Dustin Ells Howes is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Louisiana State University and the author of Toward a Credible Pacifism: Violence and the Possibilities of Politics (SUNY Press, 2009). He has also published articles in International Studies Quarterly, Human Rights Review and Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He can be reached at: dhowes1[at]lsu.edu.

Kathy Kelly is the co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and the author of Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison (2005).

Nacho Martín is a reporter for the Spanish newspaper Levante-EMV and an analyst for The Institute for the Study of Conflict and Humanitarian Action in Madrid. He is also Executive Manager of Communicators for Peace, with experience on nonviolent actions, reporting and communication for peace projects in Western Sahara, Palestine, Mexico and Spain.

Jaisal Noor is a New York City based reporter for the New York Indypendent Newspaper, Free Speech Radio News and Community News Production Institute. He can be reached at: jaisal.noor[at]gmail.com

Jake Olzen is a member of the Kairos Chicago community and a graduate student at Loyola University in Chicago.

Jonathan Sasmor is a pedicab driver in New York City, and the author of Culture of Kindness, a book about sustainability and religion. He can be reached at: jonathan.sasmor[at]gmail.com.