Gene Sharp
Gene Sharp (born
21 January 1928) is a political scientist, author and founder of the
Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organisation which studies and promotes the use of
nonviolent action.
Sharp's best known book,
The Politics of Nonviolent Action (
1973), provides a pragmatic political analysis of nonviolent action as a method for applying power in a conflict.
Sharp's key insight is that power is not monolithic; that is, it does not derive from some intrinsic quality of those who are in power. For Sharp, political power, the power of any state - regardless of its particular structural organization - is derived from the subjects of the state. His fundamental belief is that any power structure is based on the subjects' obedience to the orders of the ruler(s). Therefore, if subjects do not obey, leaders have no power.
In Sharp's view all effective power structures have systems by which they encourage or extract obedience from their subjects. States have particularly complex systems for keeping subjects obedient. These systems include specific institutions (police, courts, regulatory bodies) but may also involve cultural dimensions that inspire obedience by implying that power
is monolithic (the god cult of the Egyptian pharaohs, the dignity of the office of the President, moral or ethical norms and taboos). Through these systems, subjects are presented with a system of sanctions (imprisonment, fines, ostracization) and rewards (titles, wealth, fame) which influence the extent of their obedience.
This is ultimately related to nonviolent resistance because it is supposed to provide subjects with a window of opportunity for affecting change within a state. Sharp argues that if the subjects of a particular state recognize that they are the source of the state's power they can refuse their obedience and their leader(s) will be left without power.
The 18th century philosopher
David Hume wrote about the same concept in his
Essay 4: Of the First Principles of Government.
Noam Chomsky refers to this point of view as
Hume's paradox [
1].
Sharp's scholarship has influenced the strategy of resistance organizations around the world, most recently and notably in youth movements in
Eastern Europe, including
Otpor in
Serbia,
Kmara in the republic of
Georgia,
Pora in
Ukraine,
KelKel in
Kyrgyzstan, and
Zubr in
Belarus. These five groups used Sharp's handbook
From Dictatorship to Democracy as a basis for their campaigns. Sharp may also have influenced the
Orange Alternative movement fighting
communism in the
People's Republic of Poland (founded
1983), since it used methods mentioned by Sharp, though it's not clear whether its founders knew of his work. Sharp's book
Civilian-based Defense, was used by the
Lithuanian,
Latvian, and
Estonian governments during their separation from the
Soviet Union in
1991.
The
Albert Einstein Institution's web site contains many works by Gene Sharp, in
English and in
over sixty translations.
Some people see Sharp's work as primarily
anti-Communist, claiming that the majority of his effort has been spent helping topple Communist or left-leaning governments. For instance, it is said that the Albert Einstein Institution recently advised opposition forces in Venezuela as how they should proceed in the effort to
recall Hugo Chávez[
2]. Critics also complain that the Albert Einstein Institution has received funding from the
National Endowment for Democracy — an organization of which one of its founders,
Allen Weinstein, said "...a lot of what we do today was done covertly by the CIA 25 years ago." Thus, some critics assert that the AEI is an organization devoted to promoting American overthrow of sovereign governments under the cover of promoting "democracy" and encouraging what the UK's
Guardian called "the postmodern coup d'etat" [
3].
Gene Sharp's latest work,
Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potentialwas published in June, 2005. It builds on his earlier written works by documenting case studies where non violent action has been applied, and the lessons learned from those applications, and contains unprecedented information on strategically planning nonviolent struggle to make it more effective.
Some of Sharp's books are available from
Extending Horizons Books, an imprint of
Porter Sargent Publishers Inc.*
Albert Einstein Institution website*
198 Methods of Nonviolent Action (PDF file)
*
Gene Sharp: A Biographical Profile*
Interview with New Internationalist*
Interview with Peace Magazine*
An article linking the Albert Einstein Institution to the CIA*
Coup d'État in Disguise: Washington's New World Order "Democratization" Template{{Persondata
NAME=Sharp, Gene | ALTERNATIVE NAMES= | SHORT DESCRIPTION=American political scientist | DATE OF BIRTH=1928 | PLACE OF BIRTH= | DATE OF DEATH= | PLACE OF DEATH=
|
