Hunger Protests as Non-violent Struggle Tactics Cover Image

Protesty głodowe jako taktyka walki bez przemocy
Hunger Protests as Non-violent Struggle Tactics

Author(s): Paulina Codogni
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Philosophy
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: hunger strikes;political resistance;non-violent struggle tactics;hunger protests;

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the phenomenon of hunger strikes which are considered to be an example of strategies and tactics of nonviolent struggle. The resistance is based on a conscious refusal to eat food which causes the political matter against which the protest is directed to become an existential matter. Everyday actions, such as eating, take on a different meaning. The same happens with the meaning of the act of political contestation. On the one hand what can be seen is the embodiment of politics and on the other the politicization of the body. The article also showcases a number of historical and contemporary examples of hunger strikes and tries to find the answer whether hunger strikes are an effective method of political resistance.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 16
  • Page Range: 55-67
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish