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Morality in Motion : Investigating the Impact of Violence and Nonviolence on Participation in Mass Mobilization Movements

Participation in mass mobilization movements, whether using a violent or nonviolent strategy, is often connected to their success. Studies generally assume that nonviolent campaigns attract a larger number of participants. However, they have understudied the relationship between movement strategy and participation. This thesis aims to revisit this relationship using more panoramic data than previous research. Additionally, the presence of violence within nonviolent campaigns is often overlooked. This study seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between violence, nonviolence and participation by also investigating the effect of violence within nonviolent campaigns on participant numbers. It builds on existing literature that suggests the inherent moral value of nonviolence attracts more individuals to such campaigns. Through a large-N, quantitative analysis based on cross-sectional data from 1900 to 2019, I find that predominantly nonviolent movements are indeed likely to attract more participants. However, within the realm of nonviolent campaigns, increased levels of violence also correlate with more participants. Brief illustrative cases are used to highlight the dynamics of nonviolent resistance movements and to explain the mixed results.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-532396
Date January 2024
Creatorsvan Donselaar, Puck
PublisherUppsala universitet, Institutionen för freds- och konfliktforskning
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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