Albert Einstein Institution
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The Albert Einstein Institution (AEI) is a
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
organization specializing in the study of the methods of
nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, construct ...
in conflict. It was founded by scholar
Gene Sharp Gene Sharp (January 21, 1928 – January 28, 2018) was an American political scientist. He was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study of nonviolent action, and professor of po ...
in 1983, and named after
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
. Until 2000, the institute provided funding for Einstein Institution Fellowships for scholars, sometimes referred to as Einstein Fellows, and was also the funding body for the Program on Nonviolent Sanctions in Conflict and Defense at Harvard's Center for International Affairs. Jamila Raqib has been executive director since 2005.


History

The
research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...
is named after the
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
Albert Einstein, who was a committed pacifist, although not an "absolute pacifist"; he recognized that pacifism would not work against
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
in 1933. It was founded by
political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
Gene Sharp, whose first book, about the methods of Indian pacifist
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
, included an article on nonviolence signed by Einstein as a preface. The AEI was incorporated in July 1983, two months after the Program on Nonviolent Sanctions in Conflict and Defense was created at the Center for International Affairs (CFIA) (now the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, or WCFIA) at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. This program operated as a research division under the framework and policies of the center, with its focus the use of nonviolent sanctions as a substitute for violent interventions. The Program provided grants or fellowships for scholars in residence, as well as conducting seminars and conferences. For the first few years, the Program at the CFIA lobbied for funding itself, as well as obtaining some funding from the AEI; after 1987 policy changes were made to reduce confusion and the AEI became solely responsible for raising the funds to support the CFIA Program as well as its own activities. Around 2004, one of its major donors, former student of Sharp and co-founder of
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) is a nonprofit educational foundation, founded by Jack DuVall and Peter Ackerman in 2002."Peter Ackerman - Founding Chair". International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. 2009. Archived from t ...
in 2002, businessman Peter Ackerman, withdrew his funding, and Sharp started running the institute out of his home in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Jamila Raqib joined AEI in 2002, at first managing the promotion of its publications and translations. In 2005 she became its executive director, and in 2009 collaborated with Sharp to publish ''Self-Liberation: A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression'', which has been translated into several languages. Sharp remained as senior scholar at AEI until his death in 2018.


Governance

The articles of incorporation stated that institution is an independent non-profit organization, to be publicly funded and to act as "a grant-making and grant seeking organization". , Jamila Raqib is executive director, and Cornelia Sargent is chair.


Aims and work

The institution "is committed to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through the use of nonviolent action", and looks at ways by which nonviolent means can be employed to deal with problems such as "aggression,
dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...
,
genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
and
oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...
. In order to achieve its aims, it encourages research and policy studies on the methods of nonviolent action; shares the results of this research with the public; and engages with groups that are in conflict, about the possible use of nonviolent action as a strategy. It prepares, translates, presents and publishes educational resources, and publishes books, pamphlets, conference proceedings and other materials. It has consulted with pro-democracy groups from countries such as the
Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
,
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
,
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...
,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, and
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. and the
Occupied Palestinian Territories The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been occupi ...
.


Fellowships

The Albert Einstein Institution provided a number of Einstein Institution Fellowships to scholars working on various aspects of nonviolent struggle. This was an honorary position, and the Einstein Institution Fellows were either paid only a modest stipend, or not at all in the first few years. Between 1983 and 1988 Einstein Institution Fellows included Nathan Stoltzfus and Alex P. Schmid, who published the revised edition of ''Political Terrorism'' based on his work undertaken as a Fellow. In late 1988, the Fellowship program was expanded into a continuing, international, competitive program, appointing fellows annually. This continued through until 2000, but owing to diminishing funding, the 1999–2000 Einstein Fellows appear to be the last.


In film

A feature documentary by Scottish director,
Ruaridh Arrow Ruaridh Arrow is a British journalist and film-maker known for his 2011 feature documentary '' How to Start a Revolution'' about Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr Gene Sharp. The film was described as an underground hit with the Occupy movement, w ...
, ''
How to Start a Revolution ''How to Start a Revolution'' is a British Academy Scotland Awards, BAFTA Scotland Award-winning British documentary film about Nobel Peace Prize nominee and political theorist Gene Sharp, described as the world's foremost scholar on nonviolent ...
'', about the global influence of the Albert Einstein Institution and Sharp's work was released in September 2011. The film won "Best Documentary" and "The Mass Impact Award" at the
Boston Film Festival Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss'' ...
in September 2011. The European premiere was held at London's
Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...
on October 2, 2011, where it also won Best Documentary. It went on to be screened at Occupy camps across the US and Europe, including at the
Bank of Ideas The Bank of Ideas was a squatted, Self-managed social centres in the United Kingdom, self-managed social centre in a disused UBS office complex on Sun Street in the City of London, England. It remained in the building from November 2011 until Jan ...
in London. The film has been described as the unofficial film of the
Occupy Wall St Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a left-wing populist movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial D ...
movement, being shown in Occupy camps in cities all over the world.


Criticism

In 2007 former Venezuelan president
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
accused the Albert Einstein Institution of being behind a "soft coup" attempt in Venezuela. The Albert Einstein Institution have dismissed such accusations. In response to the accusations against the institution, professor
Stephen Zunes Stephen Zunes (born 1956) is an American international relations scholar specializing in Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, and strategic nonviolent action. He is known internationally as a leading critic of United States policy in the ...
initiated a petition titled "Open Letter in Support of Gene Sharp and Strategic Nonviolent Action" which expresses support for Dr Sharp and the Albert Einstein Institution. The petition was signed by many prominent left-wing scholars and activists, including
Howard Zinn Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian and a veteran of World War II. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn ...
and
Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...
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References


External links

* {{Authority control Organizations established in 1983 Non-profit organizations based in Boston Peace and conflict studies Nonviolence organizations based in the United States East Boston 1983 establishments in Massachusetts