Martin Luther King, Jr. revolutionized the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, using his voice, not violence, to fight for equality and an end to racial segregation.
In the 1930s, Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian people in a nonviolent act of civil disobedience, marching against taxes levied by the British salt monopoly. Gandhi and his followers trekked 240 miles over 24 days, gently shaking the world with their ultimately successful nonviolent protest.
The world’s history is rife with examples like these. And UW students have collected many of them as part of The Nonviolence Project, an online informational hub that details nonviolent protests in the past and present.
“This project encourages people who may feel helpless in matters happening worldwide feel as if they have a voice and feel empowered,” says project researcher Anna Basha, a senior history major from Milwaukee. “Understanding that there is power in knowledge, power in empathy and understanding, as well as in solidarity.”
Led by Mou Banerjee, an assistant professor in the Department of History, and a team of approximately 10 paid student-researchers, this project is aimed at educating the younger generation about the effectiveness of nonviolent protests and civil resistance. Banerjee used it to teach her students how to effectively research and write to create a more equitable future.
“I think it's important that we uncover these histories,” she says. “It showcases the resilience, the spirit, the courage and the moral certitude of people who bring about these changes in the world at great risk to themselves.”
Historical vignettes researched and written by the students are organized by the continents and countries in which they occurred. Some also include biographies of key individuals, including several directly related to UW–Madison, like Mercile Lee and Ada Deer. The Nonviolence Project highlights how successful nonviolent protests can be and serves as a reminder that violence is not necessary to enact change. Statistically, non-violent action is far more likely to succeed in bringing about institutional change than almost any other form of political tactic.
One study looked at protests from 1900 to 2006 and found that 53% of major nonviolent campaigns were successful as opposed to only 26% of violent campaigns being successful.
More information about these protests and the progress that has been made is showcased on the project website. Everything from photo essays to Spotify playlists of protest songs and blog posts have been compiled in one place, presented and packaged to be digestible for readers with little to no knowledge about the history of nonviolent protests.
Banerjee stressed the importance of producing this public-facing work so that everyone can understand it. The student write-ups are largely free of the jargon and complexity of typical academic writing.
“It was really important to me to join a project that values accessibility and allows me to write about my historical passions in a digestible and accessible way,” says Basha.
Each blog post contributes to the bigger picture of nonviolent activism.
“It's about my students,” says Banerjee. “Their voices, their work on past nonviolent protests, the way in which they think about the past and what their future will look like.”
Looking to the past provides a foundation for the future, and recognizing the power of empathy is essential, according to Banerjee. A recurring cycle of violence and stripping of human rights creates a hostile world to live in. Every day people encounter horrific images through traditional media and social media, creating a numbing effect for viewers.
“We are currently living in the era of the 24-hour social media news cycle, where information is constantly disseminated based on clicks,” says Ian Cata, a senior majoring in political science and international studies who wrote several entries about nonviolent efforts to overturn Apartheid in South Africa. “It’s important to know that nonviolent protest can work and has worked throughout history.”
The Department of History’s Board of Visitors has provided additional funding for the project, allowing more students and teachers to learn about the history of nonviolent protests. Banerjee hopes to see the project eventually turn into a global center for nonviolence work — a place where people feel inspired by their work on nonviolent activism and the many shapes that it takes.
“Hopefully, people realize that nonviolence is something all of us can practice,” she says. “It gives us a way of connecting to the world around us and to the community in a way that minimizes harm and maximizes reconciliation.”