Review of Swarthmore College (2011): Global Nonviolent Action Database

The Global Nonviolent Action Database is a project of the Swarthmore College. It reports on cases of nonviolent protest actions taken across the globe (100+ countries) (1), including cases dating back as far as the 12th century BCE all the way up to 2019 (Lakey 2011a). The dataset takes the form of both case studies as well as a more visual representation in the form of an interactive map (1). The researchers decided on the following definition to define what constitutes as a nonviolent action in this database: "[A] technique of struggle that goes beyond institutionalized conflict procedures like law courts and voting, procedures common in many countries. We study the methods of protest, noncooperation, and intervention that typically heighten a conflict – and the use of these methods without the threat or use of injurious force to others. Our definition is not located in the discourse of morality and ethics, although some people may choose to use nonviolent action for ethical reasons. Instead, we focus descriptively on what people do when they use this specific 'technique of struggle.'" (Lakey 2011c). Of the 1.300+ total entries in this dataset, there are 40 events listed for the countries of Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia covered by Discuss Data. As of summer 2024, it is not clear whether work on the data collection is continuing. The data review includes a link to the official Global Nonviolent Action Database website, from which all the data as well as all information listed here is accessible. However, while the data is freely viewable on the website, it seems that the data is not available for download.