Ethics of nonviolent politics -a critical 21st century analysis

Tamang, Karma Lama ORCID: 0009-0004-8876-5223 (2024). Ethics of nonviolent politics -a critical 21st century analysis. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

There has been extensive literature written on nonviolence as a strategy for securing political change. The general tenor is that nonviolence is considered ethically preferable due to the absence of direct violence. To what extent is this assumption valid, and is it right to believe that nonviolence is always ethically unproblematic and, therefore, justifiable? The existing literature concentrates mainly on the feasibility and achievements of nonviolent actions, leaving sufficient room for debates on ethics, morality and the concept of power in nonviolent theory in politics. Also, the discussions and works surrounding violence and nonviolence often treat the topics as separate entities. The research explores whether violence and nonviolence are entirely different things or similar under certain circumstances. The existing differences or similarities will be elucidated. Further, this research will explore the ethical questions concerning the moral legitimacy of nonviolent actions using coercion, manipulation and control. An ethical framework to address the morality of political actions will be proposed.

The thesis does not research the success or failure of political goals using nonviolent actions as a political strategy. Neither is it an examination of whether violence or nonviolence is preferable for certain kinds of goals. Instead, the presented research solely explores the motivations behind actions defined as ‘nonviolent politics’ and discuss morality and ethics regarding these actions. This thesis shall analyse the concepts of violence and nonviolence and study real-world examples to see whether they are distinct. The concept of power and coercion in terms of violence and nonviolence will illuminate how violent and nonviolent political actions resemble each other. Moreover, this research will examine 21st-century political circumstances and apply nonviolence theories to determine whether and how advanced information technology has shifted the ethics of nonviolent politics.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):