Minds of the Movement

Blog Objectives

• Highlight cutting-edge developments in the field of civil resistance;
• Disseminate new research, ideas and resources related to the study and practice of civil resistance, and explore their implications;
• Offer readers practical knowledge to help them study, teach, practice, produce media coverage of, and/or engage in policy discussions related to civil resistance;
• Identify areas of complementarity between civil resistance and other disciplines, as well as areas for debate—then serve as a platform for this debate;
• Provide commentary and analysis about international news from a civil resistance perspective, and about how civil resistance shapes broader global trends (though it will not be a news blog per se);
• Tie civil resistance into ongoing policy conversations and to the work of (I)NGOs;
• Bring attention to successful nonviolent struggles, particularly lesser-known ones;
• Convey knowledge and experience of activists and scholars who are active in the field;
• Reinvigorate archives which have new-found relevance and get them into circulation.

Target Readership

The primary audiences are activists, organizers, and scholars worldwide. The policy community, members of INGOs and journalists are also important audiences.

Content Criteria

As a guideline, blog posts should be 700 to 800 words, with rare exceptions for over 1,000 words. This is to optimize reader experience. Drafts may be submitted in English or French. Content should be focused on people's capacity for nonviolently organizing and holding power accountable. Because blog posts are short, they should focus on, for example, one experience and lessons learned from participation in a movement, as opposed say, an exhaustive recounting of a conflict or issue. Content should be instructive and have direct relevance for one or more of the target audiences described above.

When focusing on a particular movement or case study, blog posts should focus on facts, analysis, and/or lessons learned. We do not publish pieces that are driven mostly by advocacy and political opinions. There are lots of places online that publish advocacy and opinions—what distinguishes us is our first-rate analysis and strategic examination of civil resistance.

Also, please remember that it is not necessary to give full historic background of the conflict you’re writing about (if applicable). Instead, your blog post should focus on an experience, a moment or an idea. What makes the blog post unique content is its focus on nonviolent action and nonviolent movements, so those are the elements that we want to emphasize.

Guidance on Linking

Anchor linking phrases is widely accepted as an effective practice for online media. The purpose of linking is to provide further reading; to bring the reader to a primary source of a quote or other information; to link up with other sources and ongoing news or events; to lighten up a post by allowing the author to avoid going into detail; to help substantiate a claim; and many other purposes. We would encourage bloggers to consider the following points:

• All facts and events that are not commonly known, as well as opinions, should be properly cited with a link to a reputable source. If you do not have a link, you can include an endnote.
• When linking, please bear in mind that the blog is not designed to enable excessive self-promotion or to promote commercial products.
• Link to English-language sites whenever possible. If a link is to a non-English site, please state so in brackets.

Style and Formatting Recommendations

In terms of substance, blog posts should aim to:

• Be mindful of any confidential details such as activists’ names or upcoming direct actions of an ongoing struggle that may compromise security. When in doubt, consult with the source.
• Be dynamic, when possible incorporating media and multimedia. (Note: All image and other multimedia sources should be cited and permission documented in your 1st draft.)

In terms of writing style, blog posts should:

• Have a conversational, modern feel. Explain briefly any academic, organizational or wonky jargon if used.
• Lead with the ‘punchline’ and relevance of the topic to the reader, with the technical details following (and plenty of links to further resources for those who are interested).
• Use stimulating and descriptive language to rein readers in from the first paragraph — without being sensational or ‘shouting’ at readers.
• Be accessible to non-specialists. Not all readers will be specialists, but most will have had some formal or informal education and/or experience on the topic of civil resistance. There may be some exceptions to writing accessibly when focusing on certain specialized academic research.
• Be written in US English.
• Avoid excessively complex or long sentences and paragraphs.

In terms of format, blog posts should:

• Be up 700 to 800 words long. Some exceptions can be made for long-form content.
• The first paragraph should contain similar key words as the title.
• Aim to have a punchy title of four to eight words in length, which includes key words, such as geographic setting and the aspect of civil resistance movement explored.
• Avoid excessive bullet point use.

Submission/Review Process

• Blogger submits a topic via email to the editor for review. Please note that it may take up to two weeks or more to respond to unsolicited submissions and that only those whose submissions have been accepted will be contacted.
• Upon approval, blogger submits a full first draft of the post via email to the editor for review by agreed-upon deadline.
• Turnaround for review will take around 1 to 8 days, depending on the projected publication date.
• Please see below (“Other Items to Submit”) for a list of all items required at time of first draft submission. Please note that incomplete submissions may incur unforeseen delays in the publishing timeline.

Contact: editor [at] nonviolent-conflict.org

Permissions

All blog posts are published under the Creative Commons license “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This means that readers will be able to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, in whole or in part, giving appropriate credit, and for noncommercial purposes only. If the material is remixed, transformed or built upon, readers may not distribute the modified material. If you have any questions or concerns, see the Creative Commons license here or please contact the editor.

If you or your organization wishes to republish our content on a regular basis, we want to hear from you! Please contact the editor at editor [at] nonviolent-conflict.org.

Other Items to Submit

For your first draft submission to be considered complete, please also submit (or ensure that we have on file):

• A biography of up to 100 words (a headshot photo is optional but highly encouraged).
• A feature image, and its source, for your blog post (high resolution only, image use permission is required; we encourage sharing your own photography if applicable). Do not rely on seemingly safe "Creative Commons" sites like Wikipedia or Flickr for obtaining images for their post.
• Any multimedia (optional) such as videos should be submitted via Dropbox. Email the editor for further information.

Late Submissions Policy

Any late submissions are subject to later publication at the editor’s discretion.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.