The Gray Area with Sean Illing

How to topple dictators and transform society (with Erica Chenoweth)

Jan 2, 2020

Erica Chenoweth, a Harvard political scientist and co-author of the influential study "Why Civil Resistance Works," shares her insights on nonviolent resistance. She reveals that nonviolent movements are twice as likely to succeed compared to violent ones, citing examples like Gandhi and the Sudanese revolution. Chenoweth discusses the impact of digital technology on activism, the crucial roles of youth and women in movements, and the challenges of fostering unity in a polarized world. Her unique blend of academic knowledge and practical experience offers a roadmap for effective social change.

47:48

Episode guests

Erica Chenoweth

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Power of Nonviolent Resistance

19min

The Paradox of Digital Activism

5min

Youth, Women, and Nonviolent Activism

13min

Navigating Challenges in Social Movements amid Polarization

2min

Principles of Successful Social Movements

5min

Thought-Provoking Book Recommendations

2min

The 2010s witnessed a sharp uptick in nonviolent resistance movements all across the globe. Over the course of the last decade we’ve seen record numbers of popular protests, grassroots campaigns, and civic demonstrations advancing causes that range from toppling dictatorial regimes to ending factory farming to advancing a Green New Deal.

So, I thought it would be fitting to kick off 2020 by bringing on Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard specializing in nonviolent resistance. At the beginning of this decade Chenoweth co-authored Why Civil Resistance Works, a landmark study showing that nonviolent movements are twice as effective as violent ones. Since then, she has written dozens of papers on what factors make successful movements successful, why global protests are becoming more and more common, how social media has affected resistance movements and much more.

But Chenoweth doesn’t only study nonviolent movements from an academic perspective; she also advises nonviolent movement leaders around the world (including former EK Show guests Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement and Wayne Hsiung of Direct Action Everywhere) to help them be as effective and strategic as possible in carrying out their goals. This on-the-ground experience combined with a big-picture, academic view of nonviolent resistance makes her perspective essential for understanding one of the most important phenomena of the last decade -- and, in all likelihood, the next one.

References:

"How social media helps dictators" by Erica Chenoweth

"Drop Your Weapons: When and Why Civil Resistance Works" by Erica Chenoweth

Book recommendations:

These Truths by Jill Lepore

Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keenga-Yamahtta Taylor

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also like:

Varshini Prakash on the Sunrise Movement's plan to save humanity

When doing the right thing makes you a criminal (with Wayne Hsiung)

My book is available for pre-order! You can find it at www.EzraKlein.com.

Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com