This is a unique book that explores a neglected aspect of many well-known movements in world history, drawing out examples of “constructive action” employed in very different struggles. Rigby draws both from a life-long experience with radical activism, and from social science, discussing how it might be helpful to view different types and tactics of movement activities as “constructive” or as “resistance,” and sometimes as “constructive resistance.” This is the perfect book for anyone interested in an overview of how constructive nonviolent direct action can be integrated into everyday life and thereby contribute to processes of change, even during wartime and against organized crime.
Said about the book
Through his career as scholar-activist, Andrew Rigby has sought to understand and demonstrate the potential power of constructive nonviolent action as a tool for bringing about social and political transformation. This book is filled with wisdom gleaned from his broad experience and the extraordinary people he has met along the way. Don’t miss it!
David Albert, Co-Founder, Friendly Water for the World
Learning about constructive action for social change, making the world better by joining with others to make it the way you’d like it to be, sounds like it could be boring. But with Sowing Seeds for the Future it is just the opposite: you learn by being taken on an engaging journey through fascinating campaigns, with Andrew as your personal guide.
Brian Martin Emeritus professor,
I found this book not only thoroughly engaging but also touching and inspiring. Its personal style and reflections are the perfect complement to its closely reasoned and comprehensive analysis. The wide-ranging case studies and Rigby’s own commentary on them lie at the heart of the book and illustrate both the importance and the limitations of constructive nonviolent action. But at a time when the world is in crisis, it makes a compelling case for continuing positive action to embody and communicate the values and changes that will be fundamental to the future of life on this planet.
Diana Francis, Conflict transformation practitioner-consultant
Sowing seeds for the future is an amazing book about how people start to construct the society they desire in the here and now.
By focusing on constructive nonviolent action, Rigby explores a phenomenon which is frequently neglected.
The book’s strength lies in the personal and engaging tone and the richness of the illustrative material drawn from liberal democratic societies, dictatorships and people living under occupation.
Majken Jul Sørensen, Associate Professor,
University College Østfold, Norway and
This is a unique book that examines an ignored side of many well-known movements in world history, drawing out examples of “constructive action” employed in very different struggles. Rigby draws both from a life-long experience with radical activism, and from social science.
This is the perfect book for anyone interested in an overview of how constructive nonviolent direct action might contribute to political change, even during wartime and against organized crime.
Stellan Vinthagen, Professor of Sociology, Director of Resistance Studies Initiative, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The book can be purchased here: https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/andrew-rigby/sowing-seeds-for-the-future/paperback/product-w86qj9.html?page=1&pageSize=4