Gandhi and Beyond: Nonviolence for an Age of Terrorism

by Cortright,David

• ISBN13: 9781594512667
• ISBN10: 1594512663
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-01
• Publisher: Paradigm Publishing

Summary

Is there room for nonviolence in an age of terrorism? Longtime peace activist and authority on creative nonviolence David Cortright makes a strong case for the need for nonviolent action now more than ever. Drawing on the legend and lessons of Gandhi, Cortright traces the history of nonviolent social activism through the early 20th century to the civil rights movement, the Vietnam era, and up to the present war in Iraq. Gandhi and Beyondoffers a critical evaluation and refinement of Gandhi's message, laying the foundation for a renewed and deepened dedication to nonviolence as the universal path to social progress and antidote to terrorism.

Table of Contents

List of Photographs	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
1. Grasping Gandhi	9	(28)
Hindu Roots	11	(1)
Christian Influences	12	(2)
Truth Is God	14	(3)
Means and Ends	17	(1)
Action for Truth	18	(2)
Learning from the Suffragists	20	(1)
Politics and Sainthood	21	(4)
An Aversion to Coercion	25	(3)
Sacrifice and Strength	28	(2)
Courage	30	(5)
Highlights of Gandhi's Life	35	(2)
2. Gandhi USA	37	(16)
Early Impressions	37	(4)
Cross-fertilizations	41	(3)
A Tool for Social Justice	44	(3)
The Struggle for Peace	47	(6)
3. Martin Luther King Jr.: An American Gandhi	53	(20)
Gandhi's Example	53	(2)
Christian Roots	55	(4)
Toward a "Realistic Pacifism"	59	(1)
The Power of Love	60	(2)
Divine Inspiration	62	(3)
Sacrifice	65	(1)
Learning by Doing	66	(3)
Applied Gandhianism	69	(4)
4. Gandhi in the Fields	73	(24)
Origins	74	(2)
Learning Gandhi	76	(3)
La Huelga	79	(2)
Boycotting Grapes and Lettuce	81	(4)
The Boycott: A Powerful Instrument	85	(6)
Fasting	91	(6)
5. Dorothy Day: A Mission of Love	97	(14)
Conversion	98	(4)
The Catholic Worker	102	(2)
A Gandhian Faith	104	(3)
A Peace Devotion	107	(4)
6. The Power of Nonviolence	111	(26)
Challenges to Nonviolence	115	(1)
Barbara Deming and Revolutionary Nonviolence	116	(5)
Coercion	121	(2)
Property Damage	123	(3)
The Two Hands	126	(2)
Creative Energy	128	(2)
The Third-Party Effect	130	(4)
The "Great Chain of Nonviolence"	134	(3)
7. Learning Lessons	137	(26)
A Tale of Two Cities	137	(3)
Project "C"	140	(4)
The Success of the Unruly?	144	(2)
Nonviolence and the Global Justice Movement	146	(6)
Polite Rebels	152	(1)
Toward the Mainstream	153	(3)
Winning While Losing	156	(3)
Iraq: The Continuing Struggle	159	(4)
8. Gender Matters	163	(28)
Of Love and Lust	166	(2)
Elevating Women	168	(2)
Less Than Equal	170	(3)
The Nature of Women	173	(1)
Battling Sexuality	174	(2)
The "Sacrifice"	176	(4)
"Fleshly Faults"	180	(3)
Overcoming Sexism	183	(3)
Nonviolence and Feminism	186	(5)
9. Principles of Action	191	(32)
Understanding Power	191	(2)
Organizational Strength	193	(2)
Internet Organizing	195	(1)
Clarifying Goals	196	(3)
Financing Change	199	(2)
The Power of the Media	201	(3)
Evaluating Tactics	204	(3)
Alinsky's Rules	207	(4)
Nonviolence: The Constructive Alternative to Terrorism	211	(4)
Means of Change	215	(2)
What Is Success?	217	(2)
The Long Haul	219	(4)
Notes	223	(30)
Index	253	(12)
About the Author	265