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Though often misunderstood as a passive strategy, nonviolence at its core is an assertive act that, as history shows, empowers the people to keep illegitimate and coercive governance at bay. From the historic movements led by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela to the recent Arab Spring in the Middle East, the critical importance of nonviolence as a cementing ideological force in present times has been repeatedly affirmed.

Putting together the thoughts of philosophers and activists from Tolstoy and Thoreau to Bhikhu Parekh and Vandana Shiva, this volume discusses the many theoretical articulations of non-violence. It also explores another aspect observed in history of nonviolence as a spiritual category. Through a critical analysis of the various intellectual journeys that led to the emergence of non-violent struggle as a viable form of protest and resistance, such as the Bhoodan Movement, the call for Sampoorna Kranti, the Chipko Movement, and the Narmada Bachao Andolan, this book enables us to evaluate and understand nonviolence in a historical perspective and appreciate its contemporary relevance.