I am arguing that nonviolence and civil disobedience as forms of protest have a place and relevance in Australia. Firstly I am looking at theories and methodologies on nonviolence in general, mainly taking into account work by theorists such as Gene Sharp, Robert Burrowes, Ralph Summy, Gandhi, Thomas Weber, etc. I am dividing nonviolence into strategic or tactical and also ideological or pragmatic. I will then illustrate this by giving and discussing examples such as Gandhi for strategic/ideological etc.
My next step will be to look at various campaigns of nonviolence and civil disobedience that have been successful in Australia. These will include such campaigns as the Green Ban movement, the Queensland civil rights campaign, the Franklin River campaign, etc. So far from what I have found, all the campaigns in Australia have been pragmatic with the exception of the efforts of the pressure group Rainforest Action Group which seems to have an ideological component. Study of these campaigns will help me show the relevance and success of nonviolent action in Australia.
Next I will include the positions of varying political and pressure groups on nonviolence in Australia. This will include such groups as the Greens, Greenpeace, Australian Labour Party, Australian Conservation Fund, etc. This information will be gathered through interviews and I am also trying to interview as many Australian theorists as possible. This is the difficult part so far, as I seem to be having a lot of trouble contacting Australian theorists, or finding out who the leading theorists are.
I will also be looking at various key debates in the field of nonviolence which mainly seems to be differences between pragmatic approaches and theoretical approaches, such as should there be secrecy, should there be sabotage, should the means remain the same as the ends, that sort of thing. Also relevant for Australia is the belief of many that nonviolence doesn't have a place in a democracy, however a good argument against this seems to be the civil rights campaign in America run by Martin Luther King Jr.
So basically at the end of this I will be pulling all this information together and showing that nonviolence does indeed have a place and relevance in Australia. I am quite enjoying my research so far, as from what I can see no one so far has specifically done a major study of nonviolence as it relates to Australia.
In regard to forwarding information for me to other nonviolence scholars, that would be great, thank you very much. Generally I have been asking people the same questions, so what I will do is put a list of those questions on the end of this email, and maybe you could forward them for me if you know people who wouldn't mind answering them and sending me back their replies. Also if you wouldn't mind, I would really appreciate getting your responses to these questions as well.
Well that's about all for now. Thank you very, very much for all the help that you have given me, I really appreciate it.
The questions are as follows:
1. Do you believe that nonviolent action, including civil disobedience, is a relevant form of protest in Australia?
2. What is your definition of nonviolent civil disobedience?
3. There is debate in nonviolent theory that sabotage (such as vandalism of equipment, spiking trees) of any kind is unacceptable. What is your position on this?
4. Do you lean towards the ideological side of nonviolence or the pragmatic side? Do you see one side as being better, or more relevant to Australia? Why?
5. Do you feel that nonviolent action is relevant in a democracy?
6. Do you consider secrecy to be a vital part of nonviolent action?
7. Have you ever been involved in a nonviolent action? If so, could you please give me details?
8. Under what circumstances do you feel that civil disobedience becomes necessary?
9. What do feel have been the most successful campaigns of nonviolence in Australia?
10. Do you see nonviolence and civil disobedience as becoming more, or less relevant to Australia, and the rest of the world, in the future?
11. Are there currently any campaigns of nonviolence being waged in Australia that you know of?
12. What do you think are the key factors for success in a campaign of nonviolence?
13. Do you see this form of protest as being more effective than violent means? Why?
14. What do you see as the main benefits of nonviolence?
15. Can you give me a definition of direct action and indirect action as they relate to nonviolence?
16. Do you mind if I quote any of your responses in my thesis?
Thank you very much for your time and help.
Paul Iozzi
55 Knight Street
Rochedale South, Qld 4123
Ph: (07) 3341 3830
Fax: (07) 3341 2852
Email: tiozzi@ozemail.com.au