Aldo Capitini. El mètode de la noviolència. Institut Català Internacional per la Pau; Pagès, 2010. Collection “Noviolència i lluita per la pau”, 2.

Aldo Capitini wrote this guide on the Nonviolent Method in 1967, but the book was not given the recognition nor the distribution it deserved and did not have the impact that it very well could have had during the global nonviolent movement of the year 1968. The guide takes the reader to the origins of the nonviolent movement and offers a synthetic description of the techniques that have been used by activists in fighting for the cause. Capitini illustrates the evolution of the movement through the use of historic references and specific examples taken from Italy and other parts of the world. The Nonviolent Method is a work that can be of great utility in facing the contemporary political and ethical problems of today. The book highlights the relationship that should exist between the media, the achievement of political objectives and social activism: between a respect for law and civil disobedience.

About the author

Aldo Capitini (Perugia 1898-1968) is the most important Italian philosopher and advocate of nonviolence. His positive understanding of nonviolence through action can be interpreted as an application of Gandhian philosophy to Western culture. Committed to grass roots movements, Capitini helped organize the first ever Peace March from Perugia to Asís in 1961, and began magazines which promoted the nonviolent cause such as Azione nonviolenta and Il potere di tutti. His many works include: La realtà di tutti (1948); Religione aperta (1955); and Il potere di tutti (published posthumously, 1969)