Understandings of Violence, Nonviolence, and Acceptable Resistance in Tampere
Termonen, Annika (2026)
2026
Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-05-22
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605216110
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605216110
Tiivistelmä
How political actors conceptualize violence and nonviolence shapes both the public discourse and the responses to demonstrations and other civic activism. This thesis explores how local politicians in Tampere understand violence and nonviolence, and acceptable resistance in the context of demonstrations. It explores how those concepts are defined, where the limits of acceptable resistance are drawn, and how these understandings are shaped.
This thesis is situated within a feminist peace research framework, which emphasizes plural, relational, and context-sensitive understandings of violence as well as reflexivity in knowledge production. The data for this thesis was collected through six in-depth interviews with members of the Tampere City Council. The interviews were conducted using the photo-elicitation method to help make the abstract concepts easier to approach. The interview data was then analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
The findings suggest that violence is understood in plural and context-depended ways that extend beyond direct physical harm to include fear, threats and symbolic dimensions. Nonviolence is more difficult to define, and it is understood both as a normative expectation and as an active practice. The limits of acceptable resistance are fluid and situational, shaped by personal values, cultural norms, and commitments to democratic principles. While direct harm towards people is consistently considered unacceptable by the participants, the views differed on other forms of disruption or civil disobedience.
This thesis argues that the feminist peace research term of continuums of violence is useful not only with scholars but also everyday understandings of these themes. It also contributes to peace research by suggesting that similar continuum-based understanding could be applied to nonviolence.
This thesis is situated within a feminist peace research framework, which emphasizes plural, relational, and context-sensitive understandings of violence as well as reflexivity in knowledge production. The data for this thesis was collected through six in-depth interviews with members of the Tampere City Council. The interviews were conducted using the photo-elicitation method to help make the abstract concepts easier to approach. The interview data was then analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
The findings suggest that violence is understood in plural and context-depended ways that extend beyond direct physical harm to include fear, threats and symbolic dimensions. Nonviolence is more difficult to define, and it is understood both as a normative expectation and as an active practice. The limits of acceptable resistance are fluid and situational, shaped by personal values, cultural norms, and commitments to democratic principles. While direct harm towards people is consistently considered unacceptable by the participants, the views differed on other forms of disruption or civil disobedience.
This thesis argues that the feminist peace research term of continuums of violence is useful not only with scholars but also everyday understandings of these themes. It also contributes to peace research by suggesting that similar continuum-based understanding could be applied to nonviolence.