Cortright, David (ed.). Buscadors de la veritat. Veus per la pau i la noviolència. Barcelona: Institut Català Internacional per la Pau; Angle, 2017. Col·lecció Clàssics de la pau i de la noviolència, 14.
With Buscadors de la veritat (“Truth Seekers”), David Cortright has produced the ultimate anthology on the most influential personalities and social movements in the promotion of peace and nonviolence. From Ghandi, the great pioneer, and Martin Luther King, all the way to the awakening of Africa (with Mandela and Tutu) and the Middle East labyrinth, going over a multitude of pacifist campaigns, the struggle for civil rights, the influence of religion or the voice of women.
“The readings in this volume address the dilemmas of searching for truth and overcoming injustice and oppression. […] The authors are from every continent and draw lessons from an array of historical experiences and movements for change: the freedom struggle of India, civil rights in the United States, the campaigns against apartheid in South Africa, human rights in Latin America, and the movement to free Palestine. The readings address the theory and practice of nonviolence, the methods and strategy of social action, and the religious roots of nonviolence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.” (David Cortright, in the introduction).
Martin Luther King Jr. said “nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to the oppressed in their struggle for freedom”.
Translation by Maria Rosich Andreu
David Cortright
Cortright was recruited by the US army during the Vietnam War. Soon, he became a member of the movement against the war, even during his active service; later, he became an activist for the Nuclear Weapons Freeze movement, at the head of US’ most important organisation in the call for superpowers to disarm. Over the last years, he has been leading the Win Without War coalition, opposing the invasion of Iraq.
He is presently professor on nonviolent social change at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, US). He does research and writes about peace and safety, the abolition of nuclear weapons, counterterrorism, and pacifist movements and ideas. Among his books, we highlight Soldiers in Revolt and Peace; A History of Movements and Ideas. In 2009, he published Gandhi avui: noviolència per a una nova era política in the ICIP collection Noviolència i lluita per la pau.