Cesar Chavez & the Common Sense of Nonviolence

Cesar Chavez has long been heralded for his personal practice of nonviolent resistance in struggles against social, racial, and labor injustices. Yet the works of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have always overshadowed Chavez's contributions to the theory of nonviolence. In what ways has Chavez uniquely contributed to the common sense of nonviolence? In a new book, Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence, our guest Professor Jose-Antonio Orosco engages the life of Chavez in dialogue with a variety of political theorists and philosophers to demonstrate how the architect of La Causa developed distinct ideas about nonviolent theory. These ideas were not only effective for farm workers, they are also timely for dealing with today's social and political issues, including racism, sexism, immigration, globalization, and political violence.