Across Fault Lines Journal
Across Fault Lines is ONM's flagship knowledge product — a journal publishing practitioner-led research, field reflections, and analytical essays at the intersection of civil resistance, hybrid warfare, and civic resilience.
Across Fault Lines
A journal publishing short-form, practitioner-led knowledge on civil resistance, civic resilience, and civilian agency in conflict. Bridging activist writing and academic research.
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Ukrainian Freedom: Collective Agency in National Defense
Edited by Amber French-Griette · Foreword: Oleksandra Matviichuk, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate · Extended version forthcoming as a book in November 2026 · Ibidem Press & Columbia University Press
This volume offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the Ukrainian people’s collective resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The chapters examine how diverse sectors of society and ordinary people contribute to national defense and societal resilience within and beyond the military ecosystem, organised around five themes: meaning-making systems that sustain morale and national identity; mobilisation of civilian and civic actors; democratic resilience through good governance and alternative institutions; tactical behavior, operational dynamics, and strategic planning for unarmed civilian-based defense (UCBD); and historical lessons from World War II resistance that inform today’s security landscape.
The collection’s key contribution lies in framing UCBD not as a panacea but as a measurable, trainable capability and a critical blind spot in 21st-century security planning — with direct implications for NATO members and democratic societies confronting hybrid warfare and authoritarian aggression.
An extended version of the journal issue is forthcoming with Ibidem Press and Columbia University Press, edited by Amber French-Griette. The full table of contents of the extended book version is below.
“When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was not only armies that stood in the way — it was teachers, museum workers, volunteers, feminists, and neighbors. Across Fault Lines takes that insight seriously, bringing together Ukrainian defenders and civil society voices to document the remarkable — and largely untold — story of civilian agency in Ukraine’s resistance… This journal is an invitation to policymakers to expand their toolkit beyond weapons and sanctions alone — but it is equally an invitation to us, as ordinary people, to recognise our own power and responsibility.”
“This is a collection of lively essays on the past, present and future of civil resistance. It is mostly about the Ukrainian population’s impressive resistance against Russia’s occupation. It shows how the social struggles against corruption, and the actions to protect museums, can be integral parts of a larger struggle with both military and civil aspects.”
Scope & Focus
Articles cover civil resistance theory and practice, civilian agency in conflict, civic resilience, hybrid warfare's civilian dimension, and activist knowledge from Ukraine.
Submission Guidelines
ONM is currently seeking support and partners to begin planning issue no. 2, 2027. Reach out to us if you want to explore synergies for this next issue.