Political Dissidents

[Page 765]Dissident, derived from Latin dissideˉre (meaning “to sit apart,” “to be in contradiction with,” and “to disagree”), refers in a broad sense to someone who challenges the status quo by protesting. Accordingly, dissent is understood as a practice. If a dissident’s disagreement is followed by a rejection of an aspect of the governing political order or of a certain dominant narrative of the state or society, then the term political dissent can be used. This form of dissent includes a critique of governance and frequently overlaps with religious, cultural, or social forms of dissent that reject predominant norms, values, or customs. Such is the case with the suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote, which subsequently changed the view on gender equality. As a ...