Erica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Understanding how nonviolent action can achieve democratic aims.
Crowd Counting Consortium, Nonviolent and Violent Campaigns and Outcomes Data Project, Women in Resistance Data Project
Nonviolent resistance movements defended democratic values and institutions throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. However, the trend seems to have shifted. Over the past decade, authoritarian backsliding has occurred across the globe, and mass movements demanding democracy have been defeated in about 90% of cases since 2010.
The Nonviolent Action Lab is an innovation hub for activists, researchers, and supporters who share common goals around defending and advancing democracy worldwide through civil resistance — protests, demonstrations, and other actions. The Lab produces and disseminates up-to-date knowledge on nonviolent action, how it works, and global trends in success and failure.
“Authoritarianism is winning — particularly against pro-democracy movements. Movements need a new playbook for responding to these developmentsErica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
The new Nonviolent Action Lab Podcast brings you the latest research, insights, and ideas on how nonviolent action can — or sometimes fails — to transform injustice. Each week, Nonviolent Action Lab’s Jay Ulfelder welcomes experts from the field, scholars, organizers, and advocates to discuss nonviolent movements around the world. Find new episodes listed below, via Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2024;
Ford Foundation Mason Program Scholarship in Democracy Recipient
Nonviolent Action Lab Research Associate and Democracy Visiting Fellow, AY2023-2024
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2023
Fellow, Nonviolent Action Lab
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2023
Fellow, Nonviolent Action Lab
Research Project Manager, Nonviolent Action Lab
Commentary
In late 2022, I guessed that the surge in anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing protests we saw in the summer and fall of last year would ebb after the elections.
Feature
Shady ElGhazaly Harb MC/MPA 2023, a prominent youth activist during the 2011 uprising, finds new ways to understand the continuing struggle for democracy in Egypt during his time at Harvard Kennedy School.
Video
The Ash Center invites you to watch a panel discussion with civil resistance leaders from around the world discussing their experiences and lessons learned from fighting dictatorships over the past ten years.