Methods of Nonviolent Action
Definition
The canonical taxonomy of nonviolent action — Gene Sharp’s 198 methods, organised into three categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion (symbolic acts, marches, petitions); noncooperation (social, economic, political — withdrawing consent, participation, or resources); and nonviolent intervention (blockades, sit-ins, parallel institutions).
Sharp first set out the taxonomy in 1973 (The Politics of Nonviolent Action) and refined it over later editions; the Commons Library adaptation presents the full list and is widely used by practitioner trainers. The catalogue organises the three categories concretely: nonviolent protest and persuasion includes formal statements (public speeches, group petitions), symbolic public acts (wearing symbols, displaying flags), processions (marches, pilgrimages), drama and music (humorous skits, singing), and public assemblies (teach-ins, protest meetings); noncooperation divides into social noncooperation (social boycotts, student strikes, stay-at-homes) and economic noncooperation (consumer, worker, and government boycotts, plus various forms of strikes); nonviolent intervention is the third class. [source: commons-198-methods]
The taxonomy is descriptive, not prescriptive: it tells the campaign what has been tried, not what to try. The practitioner question is which combination of methods, in which sequence, for which audience — and most campaigns use a small subset of the 198 rather than the whole catalogue. Sharp’s own warning applies: the greatest effectiveness is possible when individual methods are selected to implement a previously adopted strategy, not when a tactic is chosen before the question what kind of pressure are we applying. [source: commons-198-methods]
Full page: [[methods-of-nonviolent-action]].
FAQ
What are the methods of nonviolent action?
The methods of nonviolent action are the canonical taxonomy of nonviolent action — Gene Sharp’s 198 methods, organised into three categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion (symbolic acts, marches, petitions); noncooperation (social, economic, political — withdrawing consent, participation, or resources); and nonviolent intervention (blockades, sit-ins, parallel institutions) [source: commons-198-methods].
What does each of the three categories include?
The catalogue organises the three categories concretely: nonviolent protest and persuasion includes formal statements (public speeches, group petitions), symbolic public acts (wearing symbols, displaying flags), processions (marches, pilgrimages), drama and music (humorous skits, singing), and public assemblies (teach-ins, protest meetings); noncooperation divides into social noncooperation (social boycotts, student strikes, stay-at-homes) and economic noncooperation (consumer, worker, and government boycotts, plus various forms of strikes); nonviolent intervention is the third class [source: commons-198-methods].
How should the 198 methods be used by a campaign?
The taxonomy is descriptive, not prescriptive: it tells the campaign what has been tried, not what to try. The practitioner question is which combination of methods, in which sequence, for which audience — and most campaigns use a small subset of the 198 rather than the whole catalogue [source: commons-198-methods]. Sharp’s own warning applies: the greatest effectiveness is possible when individual methods are selected to implement a previously adopted strategy, not when a tactic is chosen before the question what kind of pressure are we applying.