“Civil Resistance and the New Global Order” with Erica Chenoweth

Join us for this Practice of Citizenship series and Civic Café public discussion with Erica Chenoweth, the Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Nonviolent Action Lab. In this insightful public lecture, Chenoweth will explore the profound evolution of global activism, sharing how civil resistance shaped the 20th century, and how the geopolitical currents of the 21st century have shaped civil resistance in turn.

A leading expert on political violence and its alternatives, Chenoweth’s research focuses on how people effectively resist authoritarianism and push for systemic change. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights into the strategies, outcomes, and future of modern democracy movements around the world.

Registration opening soon

Event Schedule, October 28, 2026:

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Civic Café discussion with Erica Chenoweth, Hillman Clark-Fox Forum at Washington University in St. Louis

8:30 pm – 9:30 pm: Reception for all audience members in Hillman Clark-Fox Forum

Doors will open at 6:00 pm, and we encourage you to arrive early to allow time for walk from parking and ticket checks at the door.

Ticketing: Although this is a free event open to all, seats are limited and tickets will be required to attend the program and the reception immediately following. Hillman Clark-Fox Forum accommodates general admission seating; your ticket does not designate a specific seat. Each attendee will need their own ticket in their name. If you have questions about tickets, please contact us at rap@wustl.edu or (314) 935-9345.

Waitlist: When we have reached capacity for our venue, you will be able to join the waitlist. If more tickets become available, you will be informed via email. You will have to respond to those instructions within 24 hours to claim the tickets.

Security: All attendees should be prepared for security measures, which may include bag checks. We encourage guests to leave large bags at home.

More Information: Please see the Frequently Asked Questions on the registration page.

About the Speaker:

Erica Chenoweth is the Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. Known for their work on civil resistance and alternatives to violence, Chenoweth directs the Nonviolent Action Lab, an innovation hub that provides empirical evidence in support of movement-led political transformation. Chenoweth has authored or edited nine books and hundreds of articles and essays on mass movements, nonviolent resistance, political violence, revolutions, and state repression. Their book, Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2021), explores what civil resistance is, how it works, why it sometimes fails, how violence and repression affect it, and the long-term impacts of such resistance.

Chenoweth’s book Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (Columbia, 2011) with Maria J. Stephan won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order and the 2012 best book award from the American Political Science Association. Chenoweth’s current book project explores the puzzling decline in the success of civil resistance movements in the past decade, even as the technique has become more popular worldwide.