Resistance politics: Its implications for democracy

Abstract

Although resistance politics, best exemplified in various civil disobedience movements, has a long history in this country; in the West, it came to acquire respectability mainly thanks to American theorists and resistance movements. Resistance politics may very broadly be defined as implying deliberate disobedience of laws for reasons of moral or political principles. The American tradition of resistance politics can be traced to two intellectual sources in American history. The first is Protestantism and particularly the teachings of John Galvin. The second is Liberalism, especially the teachings of John Locke.