Responding to Injustice with Constructive Agency

Intro to book chapter: “The past century has given rise to a searching global conversation regarding nonviolent approaches to social change. Bahá’ís are increasingly contributing to this conversation in ways that draw on an accumulating body of experience. In this regard, the Bahá’í community comprises a growing movement of people across the planet, representing a microcosm of humanity, working to translate commonly held spiritual principles into a new social reality through an evolving framework of action. This chapter examines salient elements of this framework in relation to insights from the theory and practice of nonviolent social change. It begins by considering how Bahá’ís understand the root causes of oppression. The dual problems of complacency and contentiousness in the face of oppression are then discussed, followed by an examination of the constructive and resilient means by which Bahá’ís work for social transformation and justice. The chapter concludes by examining those means through the lens of movement building.”

From “Responding to Injustice with Constructive Agency” by Michael Karlberg and Derik Smith, published in The World of the Bahá’í Faith, Robert Stockman (ed.) London: Routledge, 2022.