About the Project
Our understanding of these questions is limited. Most previous studies either assume that violent and nonviolent actions belong on opposite ends of a conflict scale or analyze violence without considering its alternatives. In this project, violent and nonviolent actions will instead be viewed as forms of contestation that can be used in combination. The project analyzes not only which forms of contestation are used, but also how intensively they are applied.
A central aim of the project is to develop and empirically evaluate theory addressing these questions. It will do so through a mixed-methods research design that includes four conflicts in South Asia. Two fieldwork-based case studies will be carried out in order to build theory. The theoretical arguments will then be assessed in temporally disaggregated statistical analyses comprising all four conflicts.