How do ordinary people become revolutionaries? In 2000, too-cool-to-care Belgrade rock kid Srdja Popovic found himself at the centre of a movement which was about to change the world. Popovic was one of the unexpected leaders of the student movement Otpor! that overthrew dictator Slobodan Milosevic and established democracy in Serbia — all by avoiding violence and opting for something far more powerful: a sense of humour. In this inspiring and entertaining guide for would-be activists, he tells his story and those of other ‘ordinary revolutionaries’ who have created real social change using non-violent techniques. Now the director of an organisation that helps to train pro-democracy activists, Popovic has worked with some of the most significant movements of our times, including the architects of the Arab Spring. Through examples such as a protest of Lego men in Siberia (when flesh-and-blood people would have been shot), and a boycott of cottage cheese in Israel to challenge price inflation, Popovic tells stories of the true and sometimes ingeniously clever ways in which non-violent resistance has achieved its means. From Occupy Wall Street to Tahrir Square, and from Nelson Mandela to Harvey Milk, the tales Popovic tells are hilarious, accessible, inspiring, at times outrageous, and always about ordinary people achieving extraordinary things.
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Outlines the author's philosophy for implementing peaceful world change and provides a model for activists everywhere through stories of his own experience toppling dictatorships (peacefully) and of smaller examples of social change (like Occupy Wall Street or fighting for gay rights).
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‘Brilliant … Full of knowing cultural references, witty asides and awareness of the reader … Make sure you give it to your friends after you’ve read it.’
What does rice pudding have to do with revolution?

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781922247872
Publisert
2015-03-12
Utgiver
Vendor
Scribe Publications
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
Dybde
22 mm
Aldersnivå
013, U, G, P, 05, 01, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
304

Biographical note

Srdja Popovic is a Serbian political activist and executive director of the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS). He was a leader of the student movement Otpor! that helped topple Serbian president Slobodan Miloševic. He has taught at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, NYU, and the University of Essex, among others. He lives in Belgrade. Matthew Miller’s collaborations include Lili Marlene: the soldiers’ song of World War II and Fortunate Sons: the 120 Chinese boys who came to America, went to school, and revolutionised an ancient civilisation.