Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (History) Honours
School
School of Communications and Arts
Faculty
Faculty of Education and Arts
First Supervisor
Dr David Robinson
Abstract
This thesis explores impediments to regime change using the strategy of nonviolent action, through an integrated examination of consensual power theory as articulated by Gene Sharp and Antonio Gramsci, and by incorporating James Scott’s theory that observable consent in the public discourse can belie a private realm of resistance to a system of domination. Using the context of the 2011 Libyan uprising, this thesis analyses the reality of consensual power in Libya to explain what factors precluded nonviolent action succeeding in the 2011 revolution.
Critically evaluating the theories, this study examines a wide range of information about the historical, political, economic and social power structures of Libya and the significance of these factors in the 2011 Libyan revolution. By clearly elucidating the internal dynamics of the Libyan system, this thesis argues that domination and not consent served as the primary source of political power for Qadhafi’s revolutionary regime and thus Sharp’s strategy of withdrawing consent does not fit the reality of Libya. Additionally, consent must be understood as a vastly more complex phenomenon if nonviolent strategy is to be successful in the future.
Recommended Citation
Lynch, S. (2012). The 2011 Libyan revolution and Gene Sharp's strategy of nonviolent action : what factors precluded nonviolent action in the 2011 Libyan uprising, and how do these reflect on Gene Sharp's theory?. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/74