A History of Nigeria

Author(s): Elizabeth Isichei

Longman, London, 1983, pp. 517

Ch. 17 ‘Colonialism rejected’ (pp. 396-412) examines workers’ and women’s protests and growing nationalism from the 1920s to 1950.

Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance

2nd edition

Author(s): Elizabeth J. Perry, and Mark Selden

Routledge, London, 2003, pp. 296

Originally published: 2000

Analyses reactions to government reforms, including both covert and open resistance. Distinguishes between intellectual dissidents and popular rebellion. See especially ‘Rights and resistance: The changing context of the dissident movement’ (pp. 20-38); ‘Pathways of labour insurgency’ (pp. 41-61); and ‘Environmental protest in rural China’ (pp. 143-59) which includes reference to direct action against a factory polluting water. Second edition has added chapters on Falun Gong, Christianity and land struggles.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

Author(s): Elizabeth Kolbert

Bloomsbury, London, 2014, pp. 336

Kolbert, a former New York Times journalist, sets the current crisis in the context of five mass extinctions over the last half a billion years. She draws on the scientific findings of geologists, botanists and marine biologists to track 12 species which have become extinct, or are on the point of extinction, and raises basic questions about the impact and role of the human species.   

Revitalizing feminism in the Dominican Republic

Author(s): Elizabeth Manley

In: NACLA, 2018

On the occasion of the 2018 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, this long article remembers the 58th anniversary of the killing of the Mirabal sisters by dictator Rafael Trujillo. They had been involved in the resistance against him in the Dominican Republic. Publicity about the Mirabal sisters inspired a wave of feminist activism in the Dominican Republic.

Available online at:

https://nacla.org/news/2018/11/27/revitalizing-feminism-dominican-republic

Revitalizing feminism in the Dominican Republic

Author(s): Elizabeth Manley

In: NACLA Report on the Americas, 2018

This long article acknowledges the 58th anniversary on November 25 of the murder of three young women – the Mirabal sisters - at the hands of dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. November 25 became the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and gave rise to the emergence of feminist groups, such as the Tertulia Feminista Magaly Pineda (Magali Pineta Feminist Gathering), Coloquio Mujeres RD (Women’s Colloquium RD) and Encuentro de Abrazos (Gathering of Embraces). These groups, amongst others, represent the new wave of feminist activity in the Dominican Republic, and stress the role of women in denouncing gender-based violence committed by the state and other social actors. The article establishes connections in some cases between their struggles and Latin America’s resistance to US occupation. It also stresses the importance of creating networks of solidarity with other countries in Latin America as well as enlarging the discussion to other aspects of gender identity and sexuality.

Available online at:

https://nacla.org/news/2018/11/27/revitalizing-feminism-dominican-republic

Honduran women pay for rights with their lives

Author(s): Elizabeth McSheffrev

In: National Observer, 2018

This interactive long report explores the killing of Berta Cáceres, environmentalist and recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, and contextaulises it within the emergence of a cohesive feminist movement in Honduras. It also reports the statistics on violence against women in the country, and initiatives to tackle it.

Available online at:

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/03/01/honduran-women-are-leading-rights-revolution-how-many-lives-will-it-cost-them

Sexual Violence at Canadian Universities: Activism, Institutional Responses & Strategies for Change

Author(s): Elizabeth Quinlan

Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Waterloo, Ontario, 2017, pp. 360

This book addresses a major problem of rape and rape culture on campus, revealed by media coverage of ‘rape chants’ at Saint Mary’s University, misogynistic Facebook posts from Dalhousie University’s dental school, and high-profile incidents of sexual violence at other Canadian universities. University administrations were called to account for their cover-ups and misguided responses. Quinlan explores the causes and consequences of sexual violence on campus as well as strategies for its elimination, drawing together original case studies, empirical research, and theoretical writings by scholars and community and campus activists. Topics covered are the costs of campus sexual violence on students and university communities, the efficacy of existing university sexual assault policies and institutional responses, and historical and contemporary forms of activism associated with campus sexual violence.

A history of British health professionals working for the abolition of nuclear weapons

Author(s): Elizabeth Waterston, and Frank Boulton

In: Medicine, Conflict and Survival, Vol 34, No 4, 2018, pp. 350-359

In 1963 medical and dental professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom played an important role in highlighting the health threat posed by atmospheric nuclear tests. Analysis of the deciduous teeth of American children born during the testing years showed the widespread presence of Strontium-90, a radioactive fission product that accumulates in babies’ teeth. The outrage of parents made fallout a central issue, and so put pressure on the US and UK governments to agree to the Partial Test Ban Treaty.

What Is to be Done about Violence Against Women?

Author(s): Elizabeth Wilson

Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1983, pp. 256

Chapter 6, ‘Feminists fight back’ (pp.169-224) covers the protests in Britain against male violence, and also constructive organizational responses and the campaign for legal change and challenges to prevailing attitudes.

Thousands Lobby for Action on Climate Change

Author(s): Ellen Teague

In: The Tablet, 2019

This report in a Catholic newspaper stresses the role of Catholic and Christian bodies in this 'The Time is Now' mass lobby of the Westminster Parliament organized by the Climate Coalition (coordinating 132 environmental, social and religious bodies in the UK with a focus on lobbying). Teague reports: 'the whole day event started with a walk of witness down Whitehall, with Columbian missionaries, Jesuit Mission, Salesians, Arocha, Pax Christi and more'. About 12,000 took part, and over 350 MPs were lobbied.

See also: www.theclimatecoalition.org   

Making femicide visible

Author(s): Elly Darkin

In: The Bogotà Post, 2017

Journalist Elly Draking interviews Isabel Agatón, human rights lawyer and director of CIJUSTICIA (Centre for Research in Justice and Critical Studies of Law) to highlight her key role in the creation and implementation of Law 1761 in 2015 in Colombia, which made femicide a legally defined crime, punishable with up to 50 years in jail. It also highlights the obstacles the Colombian government still faces in implementing this law, fully.

Available online at:

https://thebogotapost.com/making-femicide-visible/20310/

Feminism through pictures: how girls of south Kyrgyzstan fight for women’s rights

Author(s): Elmurat Ashiraliev

In: Voices On Central Asia, 2018

Gives account through pictures and captions of the history and activities of ‘New Rhythm’, a small feminist group in Kyrgyzstan that is raising awareness over many problems the women of the county face, such as domestic violence, early marriage, sexism, and the lack of encouragement to young women to pursue higher education.

Available online at:

https://voicesoncentralasia.org/feminism-through-pictures-how-girls-in-the-south-of-the-kyrgyz-republic-fight-for-womens-rights/

Popular Resistance to Authoritarian Consolidation in Burkina Faso

Author(s): Wienkoop, Nina Kathryn, and Eloise Bertrand

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace2018

The article examines the popular insurrection in 2014 when President Compaore tried to consolidate his power by changing the constitution, as well as the resistance to his coup attempt against the transitional president in 2015. and considers factors in the popular success.

See also:

Hagberg, Sten, 'The Legacy of Revolution and Resistance in Burkina Faso', SIPRI: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,22 Febuary, 2016.

Available online at:

https://carnegieendowment.org/2018/05/16/popular-resistance-to-authoritarian-consolidation-in-burkina-faso-pub-76363

Armenia's Velvet Revolution

Author(s): Miriam Lanskoy, and Elspeth Suthers

In: Journal of Democracy, Vol 30, No 2, 2019, pp. 85-99

The authors, both from the National Endowment for Democracy, note that political revolution in other post-Soviet states have been followed by 'back sliding'. But they note how Armenia differs from Georgia and Ukraine. After exploring the background and context of the 2018 revolution, they conclude with a relatively optimistic assessment of the prospects for the Pashinyan government after the December 2018 election.

Available online at:

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/armenias-velvet-revolution/

Pages