Political Protest and Civil Disobedience

Abstract

Political protest consists of a multitude of methods used by individuals and groups within a political system to express dissatisfaction with the status quo. Civil disobedience is a particular form of political protest that involves the deliberate violation of the law for social purposes. Within this broad conceptualization, civil disobedience can take numerous forms and be motivated by different reasons. Although Thoreau assumed that ‘civil’ protest would be conducted in an orderly and peaceful fashion, scholars disagree over whether civil disobedience is necessarily nonviolent by definition. In addition to disagreements over what kinds of actions qualify as civil disobedience, there is debate over when civil disobedience is justified. At a minimum, the civil disobedient must be able to demonstrate that the offending law or policy violates principles of welfare, equality, or justice. Civil disobedience rarely works through persuasion alone, but often depends also on pressure and coercion. In this respect, civil disobedience resembles a pragmatic tactic within a repertoire of strategies available to a protest group, rather than an option that is employed only when the conventional channels of participation have been exhausted.