Erica Chenoweth

Erica Chenoweth is a leading scholar of nonviolent movements, political change, and collective action. Erica serves as the Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School, Faculty Dean at Pforzheimer House at Harvard College, and professor at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute. Erica also directs Harvard’s Nonviolent Action Lab, which studies how protest movements and civic activism influence democracy, revolutions, and political transformation around the world.

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Erica is internationally recognized for groundbreaking research demonstrating that nonviolent movements are often more effective than violent conflict in achieving lasting political change. Research focuses on civil resistance, democracy movements, authoritarianism, political violence, state repression, protest strategy, and the role of women in social movements. This work has influenced policymakers, activists, scholars, and international organizations studying democratic change and grassroots mobilization.

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Best known as the award-winning co-author of Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, Erica has also authored or edited numerous books and articles, including Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know and On Revolutions. Current research examines why civil resistance movements have become less successful globally in recent years despite increasing public participation in protest movements.

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A highly sought-after speaker, Erica frequently addresses topics including democracy and authoritarianism, protest movements, political polarization, civic activism, women in revolution, and the future of nonviolent resistance. Insights and research have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, NPR, TEDx, and many other major media outlets.

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Erica has received numerous honors for scholarship, including the Karl Deutsch Award from the International Studies Association, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022.

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