ABSTRACT
The study and practice of nonviolent resistance, also called civil resistance, people power, or nonviolent revolution, has a long history in the field of peace studies, but has only more recently been deemed a subject worthy of serious study in mainstream social science scholarship. This chapter reflects on theoretical debates found in both classic and contemporary scholars and practitioners of civil resistance, explores debates regarding the nature of power, the role of coercion, and the definition of violence used by scholars and practitioners to delimit what ‘counts’ as civil resistance. Using a case study of Palestinian popular struggle in the first and second intifadas and the contemporary boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, the chapter analyses the challenges, controversies, and success of civil resistance as a means of international conflict management.
