Violent and Nonviolent Resistance in Contexts of Prolonged Crisis: The Civilian Perspective

This essay argues that the study of civil conflict has predominantly focused on the collective actions of violent, armed nonstate actors. By overlooking the role of nonviolent actions during war, war-like environments, or contexts of prolonged political crises, research has also overlooked one of the ways in which civilians can influence trajectories of violence. Accordingly, this essay argues that, if researchers on both sides of the peace-conflict divide integrate dynamics of nonviolent resistance into their research, then the study of civilian-led nonviolent efforts could be one key way to build a bridge between the study of conflict and the study of peace.