On Thursday 26 January 2023, Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies is hosting Dr Marwan Darweish in an online Seminar on "Popular Resistance in Asymmetrical Power Relation", at 12:30 Doha Time.

There has been a long history of unarmed popular resistance in Palestine and the Arab countries to colonisation and oppression.  The aim of this seminar is to outline the main features of contemporary nonviolent resistance.  The analysis is informed by the body of literature on civil resistance and everyday resistance to oppression and injustice which recognises the asymmetrical power relationship between the parties. Civil resistance is a mode of challenging control and oppression relying on the sustained use of methods that are predominantly nonviolent, unarmed or "non-military" in nature, in pursuit of goals that are widely shared within the society.

The basic assumption regarding the dynamics of civil resistance in purist of social, political and economic change is that repressive and colonial regimes depend not only on fear, control and intimidation and coercive power of the state but also the obedience of sectors of the population. It is important for civil resistance movements to identify and undermine the pillars of support of the regime. Sustained nonviolent resistance raises the cost of the regime policies and results in a loss of legitimacy in the eyes of internal and external actors and finally creates a chain of nonviolent resistance that links with other groups and movements which in turn impacts on power structures that are being challenged including international solidarity and different forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions.

The Seminar will be via Zoom and livestreamed on Social Media platforms.