NONVIOLENT ACTION:
198 METHODS OF NONVIOLENT ACTION
by Dr. Gene Sharp
THE METHODS OF NONVIOLENT
20. Prayer and worship
PROTEST AND PERSUASION
21. Delivering symbolic objects
22. Protest disrobings
Formal Statements
23. Destruction of own property
1. Public Speeches
24. Symbolic lights
2. Letters of opposition or support
25. Displays of portraits
3. Declarations by organizations and
institutions
26. Paint as protest
27. New signs and names
4. Signed public statements
28. Symbolic sounds
5. Declarations of indictment and
intention
29. Symbolic reclamations
6. Group or mass petitions
30. Rude gestures
Communications with
Pressures on Individuals
a Wider Audience
31. "Haunting" officials
7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols
32. Taunting officials
8. Banners, posters, and displayed
33. Fraternization
communications
34. Vigils
9. Leaflets, pamphlets, and books
Drama and Music
10. Newspapers and journals
35. Humorous skits and pranks
11. Records, radio, and television
36. Performances of plays and music
12. Skywriting and earthwriting
37. Singing
Group Representations
Processions
13. Deputations
38. Marches
14. Mock awards
39. Parades
15. Group lobbying
40. Religious processions
16. Picketing
41. Pilgrimages
17. Mock elections
42. Motorcades
Symbolic Public Acts
Honoring the Dead
18. Displays of flags and symbolic
43. Political mourning
colors
44. Mock funerals
19. Wearing of symbols
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45. Demonstrative funerals
67. "Flight" of workers
46. Homage at burial places
68. Sanctuary
69. Collective disappearance
Public Assemblies
70. Protest emigration (hijrat)
47. Assemblies of protest or sup-
port
THE METHODS OF
48. Protest meetings
ECONOMIC NONCOOPERATION:
49. Camouflaged meetings of
protest
(1) ECONOMIC BOYCOTTS
50. Teach-ins
Actions by Consumers
Withdrawal and Renunciation
71. Consumers' boycott
72. Nonconsumption of boycotted
51. Walk-outs
goods
53. Silence
73. Policy of austerity
53. Renouncing honors
74. Rent withholding
54. Turning one?s back
75. Refusal to rent
T
76. National consumers? boycott
HE METHODS OF SOCIAL
N
77. International consumers? boycott
ONCOOPERATION
Ostracism of Persons
Action by Workers and Producers
78. Workmen's boycott
55. Social boycott
79. Producers' boycott
56. Selective social boycott
57. Lysistratic nonaction
Action by Middlemen
58. Excommunication
80. Suppliers' and handlers' boycott
59. Interdict
Action by Owners and Management
Noncooperation with Social Events,
81. Traders? boycott
Customs, and Institutions
82. Refusal to let or sell property
60. Suspension of social and
83. Lockout
sports activities
84. Refusal of industrial assistance
61. Boycott of social affairs
85. Merchants? "general strike"
62. Student strike
Action by Holders of Financial
63. Social disobedience
Resources
64. Withdrawal from social
institutions
86. Withdrawal of bank deposits
87. Refusal to pay fees, dues, and
Withdrawal from the Social System
assessments
65. Stay-at-home
88. Refusal to pay debts or interest
66. Total personal noncooperation
P e a c e b u i l d i n g i n E v e r y d a y L i f e
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89. Severance of funds and credit
112. Reporting "sick" (sick-in)
90. Revenue refusal
113. Strike by resignation
91. Refusal of a government's
114. Limited strike
money
115. Selective strike
Action by Governments
Multi-Industry Strikes
92. Domestic embargo
116. Generalized strike
93. Blacklisting of traders
117. General strike
94. International sellers? embargo
Combination of Strikes and Economic
95. International buyers? embargo
Closures
96. International trade embargo
118. Hartal
T
119. Economic shutdown
HE METHODS OF ECONOMIC
NONCOOPERATION: (2)THE STRIKE
THE METHODS OF
Symbolic Strikes
POLITICAL NONCOOPERATION
97. Protest strike
Rejection of Authority
98. Quickie walkout (lightning
strike)
120. Withholding or withdrawal of alle-
giance
Agricultural Strikes
121. Refusal of public support
99. Peasant strike
122. Literature and speeches advocating
100. Farm Workers? strike
resistance
Strikes by Special Groups
Citizens' Noncooperation
101. Refusal of impressed labor
with Government
102. Prisoners? strike
123. Boycott of legislative bodies
103. Craft strike
124. Boycott of elections
104. Professional strike
125. Boycott of government employment
and positions
Ordinary Industrial Strikes
126. Boycott of government depts.,
105. Establishment strike
agencies, and other bodies
106. Industry strike
127. Withdrawal from government edu-
107. Sympathetic strike
cational institutions
Restricted Strikes
128. Boycott of government-supported
organizations
108. Detailed strike
129. Refusal of assistance to enforce-
109. Bumper strike
ment agents
110. Slowdown strike
130. Removal of own signs and place-
111. Working-to-rule strike
marks
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131. Refusal to accept appointed officials
representations
132. Refusal to dissolve existing
152. Delay and cancellation of
institutions
diplomatic events
153. Withholding of diplomatic
Citizens' Alternatives to Obedience
recognition
133. Reluctant and slow compliance
154. Severance of diplomatic rela-
134. Nonobedience in absence of direct
tions
supervision
155. Withdrawal from interna-
135. Popular nonobedience
tional organizations
136. Disguised disobedience
156. Refusal of membership in
137. Refusal of an assemblage or meeting
international bodies
to disperse
157. Expulsion from international
138. Sitdown
organizations
139. Noncooperation with conscription
and deportation
THE METHODS OF NONVIOLENT
140. Hiding, escape, and false identities
INTERVENTION
141. Civil disobedience of "illegitimate"
laws
Psychological Intervention
Action by Government Personnel
158. Self-exposure to the ele-
ments
142. Selective refusal of assistance by
government aides
159. The fast
a) Fast of moral pressure
143. Blocking of lines of command and
information
b) Hunger strike
144. Stalling and obstruction
c) Satyagrahic fast
145. General administrative
160. Reverse trial
noncooperation
161. Nonviolent harassment
146. Judicial noncooperation
Physical Intervention
147. Deliberate inefficiency and selective
162. Sit-in
noncooperation by enforcement
163. Stand-in
agents
164. Ride-in
148. Mutiny
165. Wade-in
Domestic Governmental Action
166. Mill-in
149. Quasi-legal evasions and delays
167. Pray-in
150. Noncooperation by constituent gov-
168. Nonviolent raids
ernmental units
169. Nonviolent air raids
International Governmental Action
170. Nonviolent invasion
151. Changes in diplomatic and other
171. Nonviolent interjection
P e a c e b u i l d i n g i n E v e r y d a y L i f e
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172. Nonviolent obstruction
187. Seizure of assets
173. Nonviolent occupation
188. Dumping
Social Intervention
189. Selective patronage
190. Alternative markets
174. Establishing new social patterns
191. Alternative transportation
175. Overloading of facilities
systems
176. Stall-in
192. Alternative economic
177. Speak-in
institutions
178. Guerrilla theater
179. Alternative social institutions
Political Intervention
180. Alternative communication system
193. Overloading of administrative
systems
Economic Intervention
194. Disclosing identities of secret
181. Reverse strike
agents
182. Stay-in strike
195. Seeking imprisonment
183. Nonviolent land seizure
196. Civil disobedience of "neutral"
184. Defiance of blockades
laws
185. Politically motivated
197. Work-on without collaboration
counterfeiting
198. Dual sovereignty and parallel
186. Preclusive purchasing
government
Source: The Politics of Nonviolent Action, Vol. 2: The Methods of Nonviolent Action (Boston:
Porter Sargent Publishers, 1973). The book outlines each method and gives infor-
mation about its historical use.
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