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Political Psychology of Nonviolent Democratic Transitions in Southeast Asia
Author(s) -
Montiel Cristina Jayme
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2006.00445.x
Subject(s) - authoritarianism , transformative learning , politics , democracy , power (physics) , buddhism , state (computer science) , sociology , political science , gender studies , political economy , law , history , pedagogy , physics , archaeology , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science
This research examined social psychological aspects of nonviolent democratic transitions in Southeast Asia at the close of the 20th century. Researchers interviewed prodemocracy activists who participated in the Philippines' People's Power Revolution, Cambodia's Dhammayietra (Buddhist Walk for Peace), and East Timor's peace and liberation movement. Sets of open‐ended vernacular questions were custom‐built to fit each country's unique transition to democracy. In addition, the author used as a data source her personal experiences in the Philippines as a leader of street politics during People's Power. Findings show similar social psychological factors across all three politically‐transformative episodes in Southeast Asia. Shared characteristics include a history of systemic violence, loosening up of the authoritarian regime, violence toward the prodemocracy activists, spiritual orientations of social commitments, networking‐mobilizing skills used to confront an authoritarian state, building a social infrastructure to produce massive force, and conscientizing for active nonviolence .