CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Ahmadi, Parisa |
|---|---|
| Title | Rethinking Civil Disobedience: Rawls, Resistance, and the Ethics of Protest in Non-Democratic Societies |
| Summary | This thesis explores whether the traditional concept of civil disobedience, shaped mainly by John Rawls’s liberal democratic theory, can be expanded to include morally justified acts of resistance in nondemocratic, authoritarian, and repressive regimes. Rawls defines civil disobedience as a public, nonviolent, and conscientious breach of law in a nearly just society. However, this definition excludes many important acts of protest occurring in parts of the world where justice is not institutionalized and public dissent is criminalized. Through philosophical analysis and real-world examples, particularly the Iranian women’s movement against compulsory hijab laws, this study argues that civil disobedience must be understood more broadly. Drawing on the works of Candice Delmas, Avia Pasternak, Fabian Wendt, and others, it challenges the assumptions that civil disobedience must always be nonviolent or polite, or that it can only occur within functioning democracies. The thesis proposes an expanded definition of civil disobedience as a morally motivated act of public or symbolic resistance aimed at addressing serious injustice, regardless of political context. This definition accommodates a wider spectrum of protest, including uncivil or disruptive tactics, especially when legal avenues for dissent are closed. By incorporating theories of political authority and legitimacy, particularly from Wendt, and ethical frameworks for resistance such as just war theory, the study provides a more inclusive understanding of resistance in the modern world. This work concludes that civil disobedience is not just a practice for stable democracies but a global form of moral and political action. Recognizing its diverse expressions helps us better understand how individuals around the world demand dignity, justice, and freedom even when democracy is far from reach. |
| Supervisor | Moles, Andres |
| Department | Philosophy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/ahmadi_parisa.pdf |
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