Campaigning Wiki

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Summary

The canonical taxonomy of nonviolent action — Gene Sharp’s 198 methods, organised into three categories: nonviolent protest & persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, political), and nonviolent intervention.

Body

The canonical taxonomy of nonviolent action — Gene Sharp’s 198 methods, organised into three categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion (methods 1–54), noncooperation social/economic/political (55–157), and nonviolent intervention (158–198).

First published in 1973 as part of The Politics of Nonviolent Action, Sharp’s list remains the foundational reference for civil resistance. The Commons Library’s adaptation updates each method with worked examples from contemporary campaigns [source: commons-198-methods]. The Albert Einstein Institution — Sharp’s own organisation — publishes the canonical version in dozens of languages and the surrounding literature on nonviolent-conflict dynamics [source: aeinstein]. ICNC’s Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century (Michael Beer) extends the taxonomy with digital, cultural and transnational tactics that did not exist in 1973 [source: civil-resistance-tactics-21c]. Civil Resistance 2.0 (Joyce and Meier) translates each Sharp method into a digital equivalent — printed leaflet to digital pamphlet, physical protest to hashtag campaign, information blockade to DDoS protest [source: civil-resistance-2-0]. The Gandhi Institute’s workshop activity PDF is a teaching tool for working through the list in groups [source: gandhi-institute-198]. Sharp’s core principle: methods must serve a previously chosen strategy — the specific pressure type should determine the tactic, not the other way around. Noncooperation and intervention methods are generally more powerful than protest alone, but carry higher risk.

Use it for

Naming a tactic in a campaign plan; diagnosing why a campaign stalled (often: stayed in the protest tier); designing a workshop on nonviolent methods.

Open Questions

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Sources & verification

  • sources/commons-198-methods — grounding: secondary — RAW (12729 chars)
  • sources/aeinstein — grounding: secondary — RAW (8630 chars)
  • sources/civil-resistance-tactics-21c — grounding: secondary — RAW (2120 chars)
  • civil-resistance-2-0 — grounding: secondary — RAW (7172 chars)
  • sources/gandhi-institute-198 — grounding: secondary — RAW (PDF)

Verified 2026-06-23 by llm-qc.

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