The Center for Global Studies presents “Laughtivism – the Power of Humor in Nonviolent Struggle," a talk by Activist, Global Thinker, and Founder & Executive Director of the Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS), Srdja Popovic

What do jokes have to do with revolutions? It’s commonly assumed that revolutionaries should be solemn, but research shows that when humor is employed as a tactic in social movements the success rate doubles.

Humor is a powerful weapon, especially in response authoritarianism and dictators. Not only does humor melt fear, but movements that use humor and satire gain popularity quickly, allowing them to grow exponentially, which is a crucial component for success.

Popovic will discuss the different strategies of using humor in nonviolent movements. He promotes the idea that nonviolent revolutions work and make the world a more peaceful and democratic place.
 

In 1998, Srdja Popovic founded the student movement “Otpor!” (“Resistance!”), which played a crucial role in ousting former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. After Milosevic was defeated, Popovic was elected to the Serbian Parliament, where he served from 2000-2004. Following his career in parliament, Popovic went on to found CANVAS, a non-profit organization based in Belgrade, Serbia that aims to teach the use of nonviolence to make change. Learn more at www.canvasopedia.org.

Free and open to the public.

Reception & book signing of Blueprint for Revolution to follow.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Comparative Literature, the Department of History, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, the Paterno Fellows Program, the Department of Political Science, the School of International Affairs, Schreyer Honors College, the Department of Sociology and Criminology.