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What do we mean by nonviolence? What can nonviolence achieve? Are there limits to nonviolence and, if so, what are they? These are the questions the Iranian political philosopher and activist Ramin Jahanbegloo tackles in his journey through the major political advocates of nonviolence during the 20th century.

While nonviolent resistance has accompanied human culture from its earliest beginnings, and representations of nonviolence in Eastern religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism are ubiquitous, it is only in 20th century that it emerged as a major preoccupation of figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Vaclav Havel. Focusing on examples of their way of thinking in different cultural, geographic and political contexts, from the Indian Independence Movement and US Civil rights and Anti-Apartheid movement to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and nonviolent protests in Tunisia, Iran, Serbia and Hong-Kong, Jahanbegloo explores why nonviolence remains relevant as a form of resistance against injustice and oppression around the world.

With balanced readings of central players and events, this comparative study of a pivotal form of resistance written by accomplished scholar of Gandhi presents convincing reasons to commit to nonviolence, reminding us why it matters to the development of contemporary political thought. In this important book, Jahanbegloo describes seven major recent practitioners of nonviolent resistance. As a practitioner himself, he survived solitary confinement. But here he narrates the role within resistance of love, reconciliation and compassion. Although nonviolence cannot be total, he argues that the human capacity for it is unlimited. * Sir Richard Sorabji, Honorary Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK * Timely and compelling, Ramin Jahanbegloo's delightfully-written meditation shows with great clarity why violence is humanity's curse on our world, and why the choice of individuals and groups to refuse violence is not just strategically prudent but dignifying, empowering and transformative. * John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Sydney, Australia, and WZB, Germany *

Nonviolent Resistance as a Philosophy of Life: Gandhi's Enduring Relevance

Preface

Introduction: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

1. The Limits of Violence

2. An Obligation to Dissent and to Disobey: Henry David Thoreau and After

3. Bringing Ethics into Politics: The Gandhian Satyagraha

4. The Strength of Love: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cosmic Companionship

5. Reconciliation and Negotiation: Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel

6. The Seeds of Compassion: Mother Teresa and Dalai Lama

Conclusion: Limits of Nonviolence

Notes

Bibliography

Index