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Drawn on love, compassion and forgiveness, non-violence is an inspirational value to humanity. From the historic movements led by Gandhi and then Martin Luther King Jr, to the recent Arab Spring in Egypt as also the impact of Anna Hazare's call for anti-corruption struggle further confirm the critical importance of non-violence as a cementing ideological force in present times. Beginning with a section on the theoretical articulations of nonviolence, the volume puts together the thoughts of Tolstoy, Thoreau, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. It also explores another facet observed in history in the second section, of nonviolence as a spiritual category which amounts to action by denying the ruling authority the human assistance and cooperation which is necessary to set f governance in motion. The essays map intellectual journeys which led to the emergence of nonviolent struggle as a viable form of protest and resistance. The articulation of nonviolence in contemporary movements such as the Shanti Sen, the bhoodan movement, the call for sampoornakranti, the Pashtun nonviolent struggle of North West Frontier Province or the Chipko and Narmada Bachao movement have been explored through the chapters of the last section. Nonviolence is therefore a powerful ideological resource enabling the protestors to fight against injustice even in hostile circumstances. A nonviolent protest movement cannot be equated with 'escapism' since 'action' remains integral to its articulation. This volume is unique both in terms of its content and the analytical depth of the articles that have been included. In the light of recent spurt of nonviolent movements in various places in the globe, it will enable us to understand nonviolence in a historical perspective.
