Lahore University of Management Sciences
POL325 – Theory and Practice of Non-Violence
Spring Semester 2016-17
Instructor
Room No.
Office Hours
Email
COURSE BASICS
Credit Hours
Lecture(s)
Rasul Bakhsh Rais
TBA
4
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
2
Duration
1hr 50mins
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The realties of power and violence in human affairs have dominated intellectual discourses in the academia
general and in the disciplines of Political Science and International Relations in particular. Parallel to politic
realism that legitimizes use of force to resolve conflicts, one may also find a strong tradition of ethical politic
and pacifism as an alternative model. This course examines different theoretical strands in the non-violent
tradition with a focus on their religious and philosophical roots. The course is more than mere abstract
theoretical exploration of non-violence. The larger part of readings and class discussions are devoted to non
violent struggles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and much ignored social movement of Khan Abd
Ghaffar Khan in the North-West Frontier Province, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The students are expected to read extensively and discuss material and their research projects in
the class. They are required to write a research paper on any topic relevant to the political thought
or political struggle of Gandhi, King and Khan. The research projects may look at peaceful protests
in recent times and how they have succeeded in affecting a political change. All projects have to be
approved by the instructor.
OBJECTIVES
 Expose students to the moral and ethical debates about politics and nature of the state
 Introduce students to the history of non-violent political action and how they proved
achieved remarkable success
 Encourage debate and discussion among students about utility and relevance of nonviolence in our society.
 Intellectually equip students with alternative ways of thinking about politics
GRADING
 Class participation 10%
 Mid-term 30%
 Research paper 30%,
 Final 30%
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OUTLINE
Week One: Power, State and Civil Disobedience: David Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and
Leo Tolstoy
1. Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” in ed., Owen Thomas, Walden and Civil Disobedience,
pp. 224-243.
2. R W Emerson, “Politics” in his Essays and English Traits, pp.249-262.
3. Leo Tolstoy, “Notes for Soldiers”, “Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer”, “From: The Kingdom of God
in Tolstoy’s Writings on Civil Disobedience and Non-Violence, pp. 32-39, 120-126, 213-259.
Week Two Theories of Religious Pacifism: Christian and Western Traditions
1. Mulford Q. Sibley, “The Political Theories of Modern Religious Pacifism” The American Political Science
Review, Vol. 37, No. 3. (June, 1943), pp. 439-454.
2. Anthony Gill, "The Study of Liberation Theology: What Next?" Journal for the Scientific Study
of Religion Vol. 41, No. 1 (2002), pp. 87-89.
3. Jeffrey L Klaiber, "Prophets and Populists: Liberation Theology, 1968-1988"Americas
(Washington, 1944) The Americas Vol 46, No.01 (1989): 1-15
Week Three Theories of Religious Pacifism: Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist Traditions
1. Malcolm Brown, “Reflections on Islam and Pacifism” Australian Journal of Human Security, Vol. 2, N
1, 2006, pp. 5-18.
2. L. Herman, “Satyagraha: A New Indian Word for Some Old Ways of Western Thinking” Philosophy Ea
and West, Vol. 19, No. 2, (April, 1969), pp. 123-142.
3. Theresa Der-Lan Yeh,. "The way to peace: A Buddhist perspective”, International Journal of Peace
Studies, Vol. 11 No.1 (2006), pp. 91-112.
Week Four Pacifism and its Political Methods: Sociological perspective, typologies of non-violence and
peaceful resistance
1. Johan Galtung, “Pacifism from a Sociological Point of View” Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vo. 3, No.1
(March, 1959), pp. 67-84.
2. Gene Sharp, “The Meanings of Non-Violence: A Typology” The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 3, N
1. (March, 1959), pp. 41-66.
Week Five Gandhi’s Early Life and Experiences in South Africa: From Gujarat to London, struggle in
South Africa and into Indian politics.
1. Stanley Wolpert, Gandhi’s Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, pp. 3-81.
2. M. K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Parts I-III (recommended).
Week Six Gandhi’s Political Strategy: Hind Swaraj, Satyagraha and Salt March
1. Wolpert, Gandhi’s Passion, pp. 115-151, pp. 184-223.
2. George Hendrick, “The Influence of Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” on Gandhi’s Satyagraha” The New
England Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 4 (December 1956). Pp. 462-471.
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Week Seven Gandhi’s Indian and Global Legacy: Impact on Indian society and politics, and influence on
civil right movement of Martin Luther King.
1. Giuliano Pontara, “The Rejection of Violence in Gandhian Ethics of Conflict Resolution”, Journal of
Peace Research, Vol. 2. No. 3, (1965), pp. 197-215.
2. Hugh Tinker, “Magnificent Failure? The Gandhian Ideal in India after Sixteen Years” International
Affairs, Vol. 40, No. 2. (April 1964), pp. 262-276.
3. Stephen P. Cohen, “Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army”, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 36, No
4, 1963-1964), pp. 411-429.
Mid-term
Week 8 Ghaffar Khan: Social reform movement, identity and empowerment among the Pashtuns
1. Rajmohan Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns, pp. 56-115
2. Mukulika Banerjee, The Pathan Unarmed, pp. 47-102
Week 9 Politics of the “Frontier Gandhi”: Nationalism and Non-violence
1. Rajmohan Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan, pp. 115-119
2. Mukulika Banerjee, The Pathan Unarmed, pp. 145-166.
3. Robert C. Johansen, “Radical Islam and Nonviolence: A Case Study of Religious Empowerment and
Constraint among Pashtuns” Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 34, No. 1. (February 1997), pp. 53-71
4. British reports from the NWFP 1946-47 on Ghaffar Khan (to be distributed to the class)
Week 10 Martin Luther King Jr.: American civil rights movement, civil disobedience, and non-violence
1. Martin Luther King, JR, “I have a Dream” (1963)
2. Martin Luther King, JR, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (April 16, 1963).
3. Barbara Allen, “Martin Luther King’s Civil Disobedience and the American Covenant Tradition” Publiu
Vol. 30, No. 4. (Autumn, 2000), pp. 71-113.
Week 11 Political Legacies of the Black Movement
1. Heather Mac Donald, “The Danger of the ‘Black Lives Matter” Imprimis, Vol. 4, No.14, 2016, pp. 2-7.
2. Charles E. Jones, “The Political Repression of the Black Panther Party 1966-1971: The Case of the
Oakland”, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Jun., 1988), pp. 415-434.
3. Paul F. Power, “On Civil Disobedience in Recent American Democratic Thought”, The American Politic
Science Review, Vol. 64, No. 1. (March, 1970), pp. 35-47.
Weeks 13 The Arab Spring: Thoughts and Afterthoughts
1. Migda Shihade, "On the Difficulty in Predicting and Understanding the Arab Spring: Orientalism,
Euro-Centrism, and Modernity." International Journal of Peace Studies Vol. 17, No. 2, (2012), pp. 57
70.
2. Nathan J Brown, "Arab Spring Fever." The National Interest, No. 91 (2007), pp. 33-40.
3. Peter Jones,. "The Arab Spring: Opportunities and Implications." International Journal Vol 67, No 2,
Lahore University of Management Sciences
New Agenda for Peace (2012): 447-63.
4. Rached Ghannouchi, “Tunisia’s Democratic Transition”, Speech by Rached Ghannouchi.
Week 14 Presentation of Research Papers: Papers will be due on the last day of the classes.
Discuss and finalize your topics in the second week of the quarter.
OTHER SUGGESTED READINGS
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Angela P. Cheater (Ed.). (1999). The anthropology of power: Empowerment and disempowerment in
changing structures (No. 36). Psychology Press.
Kurtz, D. V. (2001). Political anthropology: power and paradigms (pp. 21-32). Boulder Colorado:
Westview Press.
Vincent, J. (Ed.). (2002). The anthropology of politics: a reader in ethnography, theory, and critique.
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Earle, T. (1997). How Chiefs Come to Power: The Political Economy in Prehistory. Stanford, Calif.:
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Religion in political organization
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Transaction Publishers.(‘Introduction’ &The Bible in American Political Tradition (pp. 1-5 & 11-46).
Wallace, A. (2010). Death and Rebirth of Seneca. Random House LLC. (part1)
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Werbner, R. (ed.). (1998).Memory and the Postcolony: African Anthropology and the Critique of
Power. London: Zed.
Gender and power in pre-industrial societies
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Mascia-Lees, F. E., & Black, N. J. (1999). Gender and anthropology. Waveland Press. (‘The History
of the Study of Gender in Anthropology’, pp 1-12)
Whyte, M. (1978). The Status of Women in Preindustrial Societies. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
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Gailey, C. W. (2013). Kinship to kingship: gender hierarchy and state formation in the Tongan
Islands. University of Texas Press. (Authority and Ambiguity: Rethinking Tongan Kinship: Ch, 3)).
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Colonialism and African political systems
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The political man, Transactionalism
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The political economy approach
Roseberry, W. (1997). Marx and anthropology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 25-46.
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Wolf, E. R. (1999). Envisioning power: Ideologies of dominance and crisis. University of California
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Reconceptualising power
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Swartz, M., V. Turner, A. Tuden. (2002). Political Anthropology. In The anthropology of politics: a
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Ideology, hegemony and discourse
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London; Sterling, Va.: Pluto Press.
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Oxford and New York. (especially Introduction)
Hobart, M. (ed.) 1993. An Anthropological Critique of Development: The growth ofignorance,
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Scott, J. 1990. Domination and the arts of resistance: hidden transcripts, New Haven: Yale
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The politics of identity, citizenship and democratic process
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Jeffrey, C. (2000). Democratisation without Representation? The Power and Political Strategies of a
Rural Elite in North India. Political Geography, 19(8). pp 1013-1036.
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The politics of knowledge production
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