Grassroots Actors: Additional Resources

These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Grassroots Actors.

Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:

Online (Web) Sources

"Grassroots Good News." , 1900
Available at: http://www.dieschwelle.de/ [Backup Link]

"Grassroots Good News" (GGN), a monthly free digest for NGOs working for conflict resolution, environment commitment and citizen diplomacy (distributed to 1700+ organizations and people worldwide), online at www.dieschwelle.de

Carl, Andy. "Women Weaving Bougainville Together: A Contextual Case Study on the Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency Buka, Bougainville Province, Papua New Guinea." , 2000
Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link]

This case study documents the important role women played in initiating both civil society peace initiatives and the peace negoiation process in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

Offline (Print) Sources

Lederach, John Paul. "Structure: Lenses for the Big Picture." In Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies. Herndon, VA: USIP Press, December 1997. Pages: 37-61.
In chapter four, Lederach discusses the hierarchical structure of populations affected by conflict and suggests that we view this hierarchy in terms of a pyramid. At the base of this pyramid is the grassroots level, led by local community leaders, refugee camp leaders, and members of indigenous NGOs. These leaders not only understand the fear and suffering experienced by the bulk of the population, but also have extensive knowledge of local politics. Primary Link [Backup Link]

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Examples Illustrating this Topic:

Online (Web) Sources

"Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land." , 1900
Available at: http://www.blackmesaweavers.org/  [Backup Link]

This page tells the story of the Black Mesa Weavers, a non-profit organization of the Dine (Navajo) people that works to sell their handmade wool and weavings for fair market prices, in an attempt to help this indigenous tribe to preserve their culture, way of life, and their land and water.

Bridge Builders: Leading from Between. 2004.
Available at: http://www.aworldofpossibilities.com/details.cfm?id=137  [Backup Link]

An interview with Julie Cajune, Calvin Head, Victor Mkhize, Otton Solis, and Freddye Webb-Petett. Global leaders you've never heard of but with wisdom worth hearing gather from all corners of the globe to transcend boundaries of geography, ethnicity and culture to forge common cause to address challenges none can handle alone.

Wilmer, Franke. "Domination and Resistance, Exclusion and Inclusion: Indigenous Peoples Quest for Peace and Justice." , June 1996
Available at: http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/wilmer.htm  [Backup Link]

In this article the author briefly reviews recent developments related to indigenous resistance, and then analyzes that resistance within the socio-historical context of the emergence of a world society over the past several centuries with most of the emphasis on contemporary issues, struggles and configurations of power. The framework employed derives from theoretical work on the issue of moral exclusion, which the author utilizes as a way of understanding the intergroup, intercultural conflicts which attend political community formation. The author then examines what the phenomenon of indigenous activism suggests about the present state of our world, and how the entrance of indigenous peoples into global discourses has altered those same discourses.

Carlsen, Laura. "Self-Determination and Autonomy in Latin America: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back." Foreign Policy in Focus , 2002
Available at: http://selfdetermine.irc-online.org/regions/indigrights.html  [Backup Link]

This article discusses the acceptance of the autonomy and rights of indigenous peoples, primarily in Latin America. It analyzes the effects of various documents which work towards the interests of indigenous people.

Demichelis, Julia. The Success of Small Grassroots Programs in Divided Communities: The Case of Gornji Vakuf. United States Institute of Peace.
Available at: http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/early/BosniaNGO  [Backup Link]
This USIP article charts the success of a community center in Bosnia that is jointly run by the multi-ethnic community it serves.

Offline (Print) Sources

Oberschall, Anthony. "Social Movements and the Transition to Democracy." Democratization 7:3, 2000.
This article discusses the role of opposition groups and social movements in the transition from authoritarian or communist role to democracy, focusing on the issues seen in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Pfaff, Steven. "The Politics of Peace in the GDR: The Independent Peace Movement Church, and the Origins of the East German Opposition." Peace and Change 26:3, July 1, 2001.
This article discusses the development of an underground peace movement in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in the late 1980s. Because state repression was rampant, much of the movement developed within the church, one of few non-state dominated entities.

Bray, John. "Tibet, Democracy and the Internet Bazaar." Democratization 7:1, 2000.
This article discusses the role of the Internet in Tibet. It notes the ability of Tibetan supporters to be able to communicate more effectively and quickly, but surmises that more usage inside of China and Tibet, which the Chinese government restricts, is needed for the medium to have its greatest impact.

Matthews, Dylan. War Prevention Works: 50 Stories of People Resolving Conflict. Oxford: Oxford Research Group, 2001.
This book offers concise descriptions of half a dozen joint projects from around the world. Notable examples include the coalition government that was formed in order to rally voters and vote out Slobodan Milosevic. Instead of competing with one another and potentially splitting the vote among themselves, they chose to join together in support of one candidate to oppose Milosevic. Another good example is the rebuilding of homes by joint Hutu and Tutsi groups in Burundi. Primary Link

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Audiovisual Materials on this Topic:

Online (Web) Sources

San Francisco's 'Sleeping Giant' Awakes School Policy Spurs Asian-American Activism. NPR. September 10, 2002.
Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link]

This audio clip discusses the controversy over school integration in San Francisco that has spurred the city's normally apolitical Asian-American community to action. The issue shows just how powerful this constituency has become in California.

Offline (Print) Sources

A Narmada Diary . Directed and/or Produced by: Patwardhan, Anand and Simantini Dhuru. First Run Icarus Films. 1995.
This film documents a grassroots movement against the development of a dam in India that highlights the issue of development versus environment. Primary Link  [Backup Link]

Four Voices . Directed and/or Produced by: Yates, Pamela. First Run Icarus Films. 1988.
This film looks at the grass roots activities that are being done in an effort to improve four of America's poorest communities: the Assiniboine/Sioux Indian Reservation in Montana; the Black Belt area of Alabama; the Appalachian Mountain region of Tennessee; and the South Bronx section of New York. Primary Link  [Backup Link]

People Power. Directed and/or Produced by: Ziv, Ilan. First Run Icarus Films. 1989.
This film takes an in depth look at non-violent grassroots social movements that have taken place around the world. Primary Link  [Backup Link]

The Shattered Pearl. Directed and/or Produced by: Nimal, dir. and Ranjani Mendis. First Run Icarus Films. 1991.
This film describes how a number of women's groups in Sri Lanka joined together to help stop the violence that was raging around their country. Primary Link  [Backup Link]

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