In Resistance is NOT Futile: Exploring Philosophical and Social Science Theories of Civil Resistance, Daniel Petz provides the starting base to understand the importance of civil resistance in our current world. He delves into the philosophical roots and the debates that have shaped modern forms of civil resistance and links them with the latest insights in civil resistance studies. He then discusses a broad number of topics linked to civil resistance including questions of legitimate authority and civil disobedience, the boundaries of violence and nonviolence, methods of civil resistance, maximalist, reformist, and systemic nonviolence, Global South and Majority perspectives on civil resistance, nonviolent defense, right-wing use of nonviolence, and the escalating struggle of the climate movement.
A valuable resource written for both scholars and students in philosophy and social sciences in mind, Resistance is NOT Futile aims at bridging the disciplinary gap that exists between these fields. The book should also be of interest to activists who wish to deepen their understanding of scholarly debates on civil resistance, as well as the general public interested in the historical, philosophical, and political dimensions of civil resistance.
By:
Daniel Petz
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 520g
ISBN: 9781041039709
ISBN 10: 1041039700
Pages: 178
Publication Date: 21 January 2026
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction. 1. Civil resistance: Something modern? 2. The genesis of modern civil resistance theory: Standing on the shoulder of “giants” 3. The boundaries of nonviolence: From self-immolation to blowing up pipelines 4. When and why to resist: The quandary of authority 5. How and why it works I: Theories of consent, power, and civil resistance 6. How and why it works II: Methods/tactics of civil resistance 7. Breaking the law: The challenges of civil disobedience 8. Breaching the system? The challenge of civil resistance against systems of oppression 9. Confronting blindspots: Some Global South and Global Majority perspectives 10. Waging war nonviolently: Civilian, social, and nonviolent defence 11. The dark side of nonviolence: The use of non-violent tactics and strategies by rightwing-populists, autocratizers, and autocrats 12. The last generation? Escalation and the climate movement. Conclusion: We are not done yet: Civil resistance in the polycrisis
Daniel Petz is a scholar-activist with an academic background in philosophy as well as in peace and conflict studies. His main fields of expertise are civil resistance, climate justice, defending civic spacetime, and human mobility. Born in Austria, he currently lives in Indonesia, working at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
