About Book

Street Rebellion: Resistance Beyond Violence and Nonviolence critically examines the long-standing dichotomy between violent and nonviolent approaches within social and political movements. Benjamin S. Case situates this debate within the context of modern uprisings—where barricades, vandalism, and direct confrontation have become recurring features of dissent. The author challenges the prevailing academic and activist emphasis on “strategic nonviolence,” arguing that such frameworks often overlook the complexity of grassroots resistance and the sociopolitical conditions that produce revolt. Drawing upon thinkers such as Hannah Arendt, Frantz Fanon, and Émile Durkheim, as well as key theorists of civil resistance like Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, Case interrogates how social movements employ different repertoires of contention. Through a nuanced synthesis of empirical research and political philosophy, the book reveals that both violent and nonviolent tactics can be strategically and morally intertwined in collective struggles for justice, dignity, and liberation. Rather than moralizing resistance, Street Rebellion seeks to understand it—showing how rioting, direct action, and civil disobedience each function as expressions of political agency under conditions of oppression. The book ultimately advocates a more holistic understanding of resistance that transcends binaries, embracing the diversity of methods people use to confront structural violence and authoritarian power.This work aligns deeply with the repository’s mission to promote peace, tolerance, and rehabilitation through critical understanding of conflict and social transformation. It provides an analytical lens to study how resistance movements navigate moral and strategic choices between violence and nonviolence, making it an essential resource for scholars examining pathways toward peacebuilding, social justice, and global coexistence.