Exit, Voice, Loyalty … or Deliberate Obstruction? Non-Collective Everyday Resistance under Oppression.

Abstract

In highly oppressive environments, collective resistance is very costly. Non-collective resistance constitutes a less risky alternative. Focusing on a particular oppressed setting, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, I identify everyday forms of non-collective resistance: signaling, persevering, eschewing, and coping. Characterized by low visibility and targeting political goals indirectly, these activities have not yet been recognized as forms of resistance. However, they constitute important resistance efforts that deliberately obstruct oppressive regimes. These efforts show that individuals who are not visibly resisting their rulers cannot be assumed to be loyal or to suffer from a barrier of fear, as often suggested by theories in politics. They also offer an important addition to theories that identify violence as a common response to oppression, suggesting that peaceful non-collective activities constitute an everyday alternative.

Does Non-violent Repression Have Stronger Dampening Effects than State Violence? Insight from an Emotion-Based Model of Non-violent Dissent

“…Pearlman 2016). On the other hand, this finding is consistent with new research showing that high levels of oppression and associated emotions of fear may not deter individuals from engaging in non-violent resistance, as is usually believed (Dornschneider 2021b).…”

Repression and Dissent: How Tit-for-Tat Leads to Violent and Nonviolent Resistance

“…Stephanie Dornschneider-Elkink  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8577-5846 (Francisco 1995(Francisco , 1996, Palestine (Dornschneider 2023;Francisco 1995;Khawaja 1993), Guatemala (Sullivan 2016), Russia (Toft and Zhukov 2012), or colonial India (Singh 2007). Even severe forms of repression including massacres (Francisco 2004) and the Holocaust (Finkel 2015) may be connected to backlash.…”

“…3Examples of dampening include Egypt (Grimm and Harders 2018), Syria (Baczko, Dorronsoro and Quesnay 2018), China (Mason and Clements 2002), Iraq (Davenport 2015), the US (e.g., see Davenport 2015, on the communist movement, or Churchill 1994, on the American Indian movement). Examples of backlash include Northern Ireland, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (Francisco 1995, 1996), Palestine (Dornschneider 2023; Francisco 1995; Khawaja 1993), Guatemala (Sullivan 2016), Russia (Toft and Zhukov 2012), or colonial India (Singh 2007). Even severe forms of repression including massacres (Francisco 2004) and the Holocaust (Finkel 2015) may be connected to backlash.…”

Beyond exit, voice, and loyalty: the role of urban resistance in a deprived neighborhood of Madrid

“…There are several reasons that limit the ability of voice as an option. At the macro level, unsafe or oppressive contexts can hinder or prevent the use of voice (Dornschneider, 2021). At the meso level, difficulties in the use of voice can stem from insufficient organizational capacity (Berroeta & Sandoval, 2014).…”

“…Previous research described resistance as a response of spontaneous and unorganized defiance or opposition to a situation that generates discomfort (Hollander & Einwohner, 2004;Scott, 1985). Later studies, however, focused on the existence of deliberate elements aimed at obstructing forms of subjugation or domination (Dornschneider, 2021), reflecting their capacity to renegotiate norms, construct new spaces for interaction and, finally, influence policymaking (Polese et al, 2016;Vinthagen & Johansson, 2013).…”