Srdja Popovic

Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS)

Bio

Srdja Popovic is co-founder and chairman of the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) at the Harvard Kennedy School.

A native of Serbia, Popovic was one of the founders and key organizers of the Serbian nonviolent resistance group Otpor! that helped to unseat Slobodan Milosevic in October 2000. He then served a term in the Serbian National Assembly from 2000 to 2003.

Featured Work

Detail from <i>Blueprint for Revolution</i> book cover.

APR 27, 2015 Podcast

Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World

In the late 1990s, using humor, irony, and imagination, Popovic and his friends toppled Serbian dictator Milošević. They went on to found CANVAS, which ...

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-172917470/stock-photo-kiev-ukraine-jan-police-squads-protect-the-government-quarter-of-the-common-people-on-the.html?src=tuJuBM6qfJGPSjK4MMwu1A-1-3">Police and Protesters, Kiev, Jan 2014</a> via Shutterstock

MAR 5, 2014 Article

The Secret of Political Jiu-Jitsu

"While oppression may appear to be a display of the government's power, skilled activists know that it's actually a sign of weakness."

Anti-Morsy Graffiti.CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drumzo/8264591190/">Jonathan Rashad</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en"">CC</a>)

APR 9, 2013 Article

Why Dictators Don't Like Jokes

Pro-democracy activists around the world are discovering that humor is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against authoritarianism.

Srdja Popovic

DEC 11, 2012 Podcast

Ethics Matter: Srdja Popovic on Creating Successful Nonviolent Movements

Successful nonviolent movements need three things: the cool factor, memorable branding, and humor, says Popovic. He cofounded the Serbian youth movement Otpor!, which played a ...