Buddhist Monks Defect from Myanmar’s Military Dictatorship

Time Period: 2007Location: MyanmarMain Actors: Buddhist monks, All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA)Tactics - Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance - Slogans, caricatures, and symbols - Assemblies of protest or support -...

Nonviolence in Action: Why Civil Resistance Works and the Role of Religion

Horizons Chief Organizer, Maria J. Stephan delivered this keynote address at the American Academy of Religion Annual Conference on November 24, 2024. Special thanks to Jin Y. Park, Professor and...

South African Clergy Support Early Defections from Apartheid

Time Period: 1948-1968Location: South AfricaMain Actors: Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRC), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Christian Institute of Southern Africa, South...

Tunisian Unions Support the Arab Spring

Time Period: 2010-2015Location: TunisiaMain Actors: Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT)Tactics - General strikes - Protective Presence - Assemblies of protest or support Between 1987-2011, Tunisia was an autocracy ruled by...

Brazilian Religious Leaders and Democratic Backsliding

Time Period: 2019-2023Location: Brazil, especially Rio de JaneiroMain Actors: Brazilian Catholic Church, Brazilian Evangelical pastors (e.g., Henrique Vieira) and civil society groups (e.g., Novas)Tactics:  - Declarations by organizations and institutions...

Teachers in Hungary Oppose Democratic Backsliding

Time Period: 202-2024Location: Budapest, HungaryMain Actors: Tanítanék NGO, Hungarian teachers, students, and parentsTactics - Assemblies of protest or support - Human chains - Destruction of Government Documents Hungarian democracy has...

The Quakers Advance Democracy in the US Civil Rights Movement

Time Period: 1956-1968Location: Montgomery & Birmingham, AL; Prince Edward County, VA; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; New Delhi, IndiaMain Actors: American Friends Service Committee, Bayard Rustin.Tactics - Publishing Dissenting Literature...

Brazilian Business Leaders Push Back on an Illiberal President

Time Period: 2019-2023Location: Brazil, especially Rio de JaneiroMain Actors: Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, Instituto Ethos, Sistema BTactics:  - Declarations by organizations and institutions - Signed...

Veterans Defend Standing Rock Protesters 

Time Period: December 2016Location: United States, North Dakota (Standing Rock Reservation)Main Actors: Veterans, Veterans Stand for Standing RockTactics - Protest - Non-violent occupation - Assemblies of protest The Standing Rock...

A “Wall of Vets” Protects Free Expression in Portland

Time Period: Summer 2020Location: Portland, Oregon (and then spread across USA)Main Actors: Wall of Vets Facebook GroupTactics - Protective Presence - Nonviolent Interjection Following the police killing of George Floyd...