DOCSLIB.ORG

GANDHI and HIS JEWISH FRIENDS Other Books by Margaret Chatterjee

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
GANDHI and HIS JEWISH FRIENDS Other Books by Margaret Chatterjee GANDHI AND HIS JEWISH FRIENDS Other books by Margaret Chatterjee OUR KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER SELVES PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRIES THE EXISTENTIALIST OUTLOOK THE LANGUAGE OF PHILOSOPHY *GANDHI'S RELIGIOUS THOUGHT THE RELIGIOUS SPECTRUM THE CONCEPT OF SPIRITUALITY CONTEMPORARY INDIAN PHILOSOPHY (editor) THE PHILOSOPHY OF NIKUNJA VIHARI BANERJEE (editor) *Also published by Macmillan Gandhi and his JelVish Friends Margaret Chatterjee M ©Margaret Chatterjee 1992 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1992 978-0-333-56627-5 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33-4 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1992 by MACMILLAN ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-1-349-12742-9 ISBN 978-1-349-12740-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-12740-5 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. To Amala Contents Preface viii Introduction X 1 The Theosophical Connection 1 2 In a Strange Land 23 3 Gandhi and his Jewish Friends 39 4 Ashrams and Kibbutzim 72 5 Let My People Go 105 6 Prophets and Horizons 131 Epilogue 162 Appendix 172 Bibliography 176 Index 180 vii Preface The studies in this book were sparked off by the consideration that I had made no reference to Judaism in my Gandhi's Religious Thought as I had not been able to find sufficient reference to it in the Collected Works. And yet throughout his life, and especially in South Africa, Gandhi had so many Jewish friends, and some were very close in­ deed. Surely his relations with them must have left some mark on his life and thought. Was there any reason why amidst the proliferation of literature on Gandhi this whole area seems to have been neg­ lected? Perhaps there was too little data available for any worthwhile research to be undertaken. Perhaps the matter was of such marginal interest that no one working in Gandhian studies had thought it worth pursuing. However the subject intrigued me and happened to pull together several of my own interests and so I decided to conduct an experiment of my own and try to analyse whatever material I could lay my hands on. This, unfortunately, excluded archival material in South Africa and Israel. The aim therefore was a re­ stricted one- at least to raise a few questions and open up an area of enquiry which would hopefully lead to further investigation by those better situated and qualified than myself. One of the studies provides the title. However not all of them are actually concerned with Gandhi's friends. I have included other themes as well, in all of which there is a characteristic intermeshing of ethico-religious, socio-economic and political strands. Gandhi's stances, even if they seem to be uniquely tied to historical circum­ stances as he understood them, still remain challenging and worth reflecting on in the light of more recent experience. Events after 1947-48 do not come into my treatment, although from time-to-time there are pointers to what was to come, or to alternative possibilities for the future. I owe much to James D. Hunt's two books Gandhi in London (1978) and Gandhi and the Nonconformists (1986) in the latter of which he has made kind reference to me. I am glad to be able to return the compliment for he has been most generous in suggesting reading and also gave me the address of Dr Isa Sarid, Hermann Kallenbach's grand-niece, with whom I have since been in correspondence and to viii Preface ix whom I am also indebted. I am furthermore grateful for the stimulus provided by Professor Neal Riemer's thinking on the prophetic in politics. In fact collegial help from friends in America and Israel has offered just that measure of encouragement which a researcher in an under-cultivated territory needs. Introduction Gandhi had a genius for entering into close relationships with all kinds and conditions of men and women, becoming lifelong friends with some and finding enough in common with many others so as to be able to enlist them in the causes to which he devoted himself. The story of these relationships is to be found in his correspondence as well as in the historical records of their involvement in his work. He absorbed what he found congenial while at the same time was selective about the new ideas he encountered, this all the more so as his own life-style and meaning-system crystallised. His relations with Jewish friends and associates spanned decades of his life and were concentrated in London, South Africa and, back in India, Ahmedabad and Bombay. The question immediately arises why he should have been attracted to them and vice versa. There is also the consideration, taken from later in his life during the Vykom days, that Gandhi believed that only those personally concerned with a particular issue should concern themselves with it. The spe­ cific context in which this view of his was expressed was the Sikh offer to open communal kitchens for the satyagrahis. This situation, however, post-dates another important landmark in Gandhi's career, the Champaran campaign where volunteers from Gujarat and Maharashtra were sent by him to assist the satyagrahis in Bihar. The difference, however, does not really present a puzzle. In the earlier example, the Champaran one, Gandhi's effort was to bring out the all-India importance of the condition of the indigo workers. In Vykom the pedagogy was different. Those suffering the brunt of a particular disability must learn how to tackle it themselves. The intervention of Sikhs or Christians would not do anything to improve the relations between untouchables and caste Hindus who had to come to terms with each other within the general framework of Hindu society. In the South African period, which is the one which mainly concerns us, Gandhi's focus was of a different kind. He needed to enlist whatever local help he could find, especially European help, in order to win support for the cause of the immigrant Indians. Parallel to this he was experimenting with a new form of community life in which he strove to show how people of different kinds could yet live together peacefully and productively. Finally, he needed a London- X Introduction xi Johannesburg link in order to mobilise support for the Indian cause. In each of these matters the support of Gandhi's Jewish friends was exceptional, especially the Johannesburg group who understood so well from their own experience the problems of immigrants. In this group, Hermann Kallenbach's involvement with the settlements, and the role of the Polak family, who were the most closely involved with Gandhi's political work both in London and South Africa, must receive a special mention. The next question that arises is whether there is any point in emphasising the Jewishness of his Jewish friends? How typical were they and what would typicality amount to in any case? As far as we can make out his closest associates were not observant and many were theosophists. The Jewish-theosophical connection is in fact very curious, and no less curious is Gandhi's own early interest in theosophy, something which waned but seems to have left its mark on his thinking. Was it their very marginality in South African socie­ ty that drew them to Gandhi? But not all were equally marginal. Kallenbach, for example, was relatively wealthy and influential. We seem to find Gandhi drawing to himself a group of idealists whose roots derived from many cultures; on the Russian side from a spectrum of thinkers ranging from anarchists of various brands to pre-Tolstoyan thinkers like Bondaref; on the German, from philo­ sophers who had wrestled with the spiritual and the material since the time of Kant; and on the English, from precisely that stream of rationalist utopianism that distanced a man like Henry Polak from the faith of his forefathers. There was every reason for Gandhi and his friends to feel a sense of commonality at the ground level, for all were engaged in coming to terms with the problem of how the new immigrant should com­ port himself in the country of his adoption. In the matter of detail there were, of course, major differences. Apart from the difference of colour there was the difference between those at the lowest rung of the economic scale who were escaping rural indebtedness in their own homeland, and those who fled in the wake of pogroms. For the former, in Gandhi's day at least, the possibility of assimilation did not exist. Jewish settlers on the other hand were gradually establish­ ing themselves in South African society. There was, however, a common dissociation from the sons of the soil, the Africans. Jewish immigrants did not wish to be classed with Asiatics and the latter did not wish to be classed with the Africans. For neither, however, xii Gandhi and his Jewish Friends was the option to return to one's place of origin a very genuine option, but again, for different reasons. But the place of origin could not be wholly forgotten.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gandhi Sites in Durban Paul Tichmann 8 9 Gandhi Sites in Durban Gandhi Sites in Durban
    local history museums gandhi sites in durban paul tichmann 8 9 gandhi sites in durban gandhi sites in durban introduction gandhi sites in durban The young London-trained barrister, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 1. Dada Abdullah and Company set sail for Durban from Bombay on 19 April 1893 and arrived in (427 Dr Pixley kaSeme Street) Durban on Tuesday 23 May 1893. Gandhi spent some twenty years in South Africa, returning to India in 1914. The period he spent in South Africa has often been described as his political and spiritual Sheth Abdul Karim Adam Jhaveri, a partner of Dada Abdullah and apprenticeship. Indeed, it was within the context of South Africa’s Co., a firm in Porbandar, wrote to Gandhi’s brother, informing him political and social milieu that Gandhi developed his philosophy and that a branch of the firm in South Africa was involved in a court practice of Satyagraha. Between 1893 and 1903 Gandhi spent periods case with a claim for 40 000 pounds. He suggested that Gandhi of time staying and working in Durban. Even after he had moved to be sent there to assist in the case. Gandhi’s brother introduced the Transvaal, he kept contact with friends in Durban and with the him to Sheth Abdul Karim Jhaveri, who assured him that the job Indian community of the City in general. He also often returned to would not be a difficult one, that he would not be required for spend time at Phoenix Settlement, the communitarian settlement he more than a year and that the company would pay “a first class established in Inanda, just outside Durban.
    [Show full text]
  • “In the Creator's Image: a Metabiographical Study of Two
    IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 18, Issue 4 (Nov. - Dec. 2013), PP 44-47 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org “In the Creator’s Image: A Metabiographical Study of Two Visual Biographies of Gandhi”. Preeti Kumar Abstract: A metabiographical analysis is concerned with the relational nature of biographical works and stresses how the temporal, geographical, intellectual and ideological location of the biographer constructs the biographical subject differently. The changing pictures of Gandhi in his manifold biographies raise questions as to how the subject’s identity is mediated to the readers and audience. Published in 2011, the Manga biography of Gandhi by Kazuki Ebine had as one of its primary sources the film Gandhi (1982) directed by Richard Attenborough. However, in spite of closely following the cinematic text, the Gandhi in Ebine’s graphic narrative is constructed differently from the protagonist of the source text. This paper analyses the narrative devices, the cinematic and comic vocabulary, the thematic concerns and the dominant discourses underlying the two visual biographies as exemplifying the cultural and ideological profile of the biographer. Key terms: Visual Biography, metabiography, Manga, Gandhi, ideology Biography, whether in books, theatre, television and film documentaries or the new media has become the dominant narrative mode of our time. The word „biography‟ literally means „life-writing‟ from the Medieval Greek: „bios‟ meaning „life‟ and „graphia‟ or „writing‟. The earliest definition of the term was offered by Dryden in his introduction to the Lives of Plutarch, in which he referred to “biography” as the “history of particular men‟s lives”.
    [Show full text]
  • Gandhi's View on Judaism and Zionism in Light of an Interreligious
    religions Article Gandhi’s View on Judaism and Zionism in Light of an Interreligious Theology Ephraim Meir 1,2 1 Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel; [email protected] 2 Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa Abstract: This article describes Gandhi’s view on Judaism and Zionism and places it in the framework of an interreligious theology. In such a theology, the notion of “trans-difference” appreciates the differences between cultures and religions with the aim of building bridges between them. It is argued that Gandhi’s understanding of Judaism was limited, mainly because he looked at Judaism through Christian lenses. He reduced Judaism to a religion without considering its peoplehood dimension. This reduction, together with his political endeavors in favor of the Hindu–Muslim unity and with his advice of satyagraha to the Jews in the 1930s determined his view on Zionism. Notwithstanding Gandhi’s problematic views on Judaism and Zionism, his satyagraha opens a wide-open window to possibilities and challenges in the Near East. In the spirit of an interreligious theology, bridges are built between Gandhi’s satyagraha and Jewish transformational dialogical thinking. Keywords: Gandhi; interreligious theology; Judaism; Zionism; satyagraha satyagraha This article situates Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s in the perspective of a Jewish dialogical philosophy and theology. I focus upon the question to what extent Citation: Meir, Ephraim. 2021. Gandhi’s religious outlook and satyagraha, initiated during his period in South Africa, con- Gandhi’s View on Judaism and tribute to intercultural and interreligious understanding and communication.
    [Show full text]
  • Kasturba Gandhi an Embodiment of Empowerment
    Kasturba Gandhi An Embodiment of Empowerment Siby K. Joseph Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Mumbai 2 Kasturba Gandhi: An Embodiment…. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations to which they belong. First Published February 2020 Reprint March 2020 © Author Published by Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Mumbai Mani Bhavan, 1st Floor, 19 Laburnum Road, Gamdevi, Mumbai 400 007, MS, India. Website :https://www.gsnmumbai.org Printed at Om Laser Printers, 2324, Hudson Lines Kingsway Camp – 110 009 Siby K. Joseph 3 CONTENTS Foreword Raksha Mehta 5 Preface Siby K. Joseph 7-12 1. Early Life 13-15 2. Kastur- The Wife of Mohandas 16-24 3. In South Africa 25-29 4. Life in Beach Grove Villa 30-35 5. Reunion 36-41 6. Phoenix Settlement 42-52 7. Tolstoy Farm 53-57 8. Invalidation of Indian Marriage 58-64 9. Between Life and Death 65-72 10. Back in India 73-76 11. Champaran 77-80 12. Gandhi on Death’s door 81-85 13. Sarladevi 86-90 14. Aftermath of Non-Cooperation 91-94 15. Borsad Satyagraha and Gandhi’s Operation 95-98 16. Communal Harmony 99-101 4 Kasturba Gandhi: An Embodiment…. 17. Salt Satyagraha 102-105 18. Second Civil Disobedience Movement 106-108 19. Communal Award and Harijan Uplift 109-114 20.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolstoy and Cosmopolitanism
    CHAPTER 8 Tolstoy and Cosmopolitanism Christian Bartolf Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) is known as the famous Russian writer, author of the novels Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Resurrection, author of short prose like “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “How Much Land Does a Man Need”, and “Strider” (Kholstomer). His literary work, including his diaries, letters and plays, has become an integral part of world literature. Meanwhile, more and more readers have come to understand that Leo Tolstoy was a unique social thinker of universal importance, a nineteenth- and twentieth-century giant whose impact on world history remains to be reassessed. His critics, descendants, and followers became almost innu- merable, among them Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in South Africa, later called “Mahatma Gandhi”, and his German-Jewish architect friend Hermann Kallenbach, who visited the publishers and translators of Tolstoy in England and Scotland (Aylmer Maude, Charles William Daniel, Isabella Fyvie Mayo) during the Satyagraha struggle of emancipation in South Africa. The friendship of Gandhi, Kallenbach, and Tolstoy resulted in an English-language correspondence which we find in the Collected Works C. Bartolf (*) Gandhi Information Center - Research and Education for Nonviolence (Society for Peace Education), Berlin, Germany © The Author(s) 2018 121 A.K. Giri (ed.), Beyond Cosmopolitanism, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-5376-4_8 122 C. BARTOLF of both, Gandhi and Tolstoy, and in the Tolstoy Farm as the name of the second settlement project of Gandhi
    [Show full text]
  • Mahatma Gandhi's Message for Us in the 21St Century
    MAHATMA GANDHI’S MESSAGE FOR US IN THE 21ST CENTURY Christian Bartolf* Dominique Miething** Abstract Commemorating Mahatma Gandhi, 150 years after his birthday on 2nd October, 1869, we (Gandhi Information Center,Berlin, Germany ) will publish four basic essays on his nonviolent resistance in South Africa, the “Origin of Satyagraha: Emancipation from Slavery and War” – a German- Indian collaboration. Here we share with you the abstracts of these four essays:1) Thoreau – Tolstoy – Gandhi: The Origin of Satyagraha, 2) Socrates – Ruskin – Gandhi: Paradise of Conscience, 3) Garrison – Thoreau – Gandhi: Transcending Borders, 4) Gandhi – Kallenbach – Naidoo: Emancipation from the colonialist and racist system. Key words: Commemorating Mahatma Gandhi, essays on nonviolent resistance, Origin of Satyagraha Introduction Satyagraha (firmness in truth) and sarvodaya (welfare of all) are the core political concepts of Mahatma Gandhi’s political philosophy. Sarvodaya (“welfare for all”), a Sanskrit term meaning “universal uplift”, was used by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin’s tract on political economy “Unto This Last” (“the object which the book works towards is the welfare of all - that is, the advancement of all and not merely of the greatest number”, May 16, 1908). Vinoba Bhave followed this path in his exemplary reform movements. Satyagraha became the alternative nonviolent resistance soul force of the oppressed against injustice, an alternative to war and guerilla war and civil war, and yes: genocide. The term Satyagraha– as Gujarati equivalent of “passive resistance” - was coined aftera competition in the journal “Indian Opinion” in South Africa in 1908, the time period when genocidal massacres in colonial Africa were ongoing – in German South-West Africa * Educational and Political Scientist, President of the Gandhi Information Center.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of Non-Violence
    The Origins of Non-violence Tolstoy and Gandhi in Their Historical Settings Martin Green The Origins of Non-violence This book describes the world-historical forces, acting on the periphery of the modern world—in Russia in the nineteenth century—which developed the idea of nonviolence in Tolstoy and then in Gandhi. It was from Tolstoy that Gandhi first learned of this idea, but those world-historical forces acted upon and through both men. The shape of the book is a convergence, the coming together of two widely separate lives, under the stress of history. The lives of Tolstoy and Gandhi begin at widely separate points— of time, of place, of social origin, of talent and of conviction; in the course of their lives, they become, respectively, military officer and novelist, and lawyer and political organizer. They win fame in those roles; but in the last two decades of their lives, they occupy the same special space—ascetic/saint/prophet. Tolstoy and Gandhi were at first agents of modern reform, in Russia and India. But then they became rebels against it and led a profound resistance—a resistance spiritually rooted in the traditionalism of myriad peasant villages. The book’s scope and sweep are enormous. Green has made history into an absorbing myth—a compelling and moving story of importance to all scholars and readers concerned with the history of ideas. www.mkgandhi.org Page 1 The Origins of Non-violence Preface This book tells how the modern version of nonviolence—and Satyagraha, and war-resistance, and one kind of anti-imperialism, even— were in effect invented by Tolstoy and Gandhi.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. May the Old Man Live for a Hundred Years1 2. Fragment of Letter to Jivanji D. Desai
    1. MAY THE OLD MAN LIVE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS1 [January 18, 1934]2 You would add to the glory of Gujarat and its people by cele- brating the eighty-first birthday of Abbas Saheb. No one can compete with Abbas Saheb in zeal, self-sacrifice and generosity. I came in contact with him during the inquiry regarding the Punjab Martial Law. Knowing that he belonged to the Tyabji family and had been a Congress worker for a long time, I suggested his name for the Committee. Though a staunch Mussalman, he can live with a staunch Hindu like his own bloodbrother. Among such Hindus I am as one of his family. His secrets are not unknown to me. Everyone in his family contributes to the national service according to his or her capacity. May the old man live for a hundred years! [From Gujarati] Gujarati, 28-1-1934 2. FRAGMENT OF LETTER TO JIVANJI D. DESAI January 18, 1934 PS. I was forgetting one thing completely. I cannot give the right decision on the question of closing of the Prakashan Mandir. The matter was discussed in my presence. I had expressed the view that, if some people took up the task of propagating Gandhi literature, we could leave it to them and let those who wished to court arrest do so. We do not wish to stop anyone from courting arrest so that we can carry on the work of publication. But the converse of this also may be worth considering. We can decide about that only after taking into account all the relevant factors.
    [Show full text]
  • Helene Cixous
    L’INDIADE OU L’INDE DE LEURS RÊVES et quelques écrits sur le théâtre. Hélène Cixous Théâtre du Soleil LISTE DES PERSONNAGES (Par ordre d’entrée en scène) Le Parti du Congrès et ses proches Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Sarojini Naïdu Sardar Vallabhbhaï Patel Mahatma Gandhi Abdul Ghaffar Khan, dit Badshah Khan Ghandi Khan, son fils Hermann Kallenbach Kastourbaï Gandhi, épouse de Gandhi Aruna Asaf Ali Sushila Nayar Manu, petite nièce de Gandhi La Ligue musulmane et ses proches Mohamed Ali Jinnah Liaquat Ali Khan Sir Mohamed A. Iqbal Fatima Jinnah, sœur de Jinnah Dina Jinnah, fille de Jinnah Un messager Les Provinces A.K. Fazlul Haq, Chef ministre musulman du gouvernement provincial du Bengale, Parti unioniste Sir Sikander Hayat Khan, Chef ministre musulman du gouvernement provincial du Punjab, Parti unioniste Tara Singh, Ministre sikh du gouvernement provincial du Punjab Un ministre du congrès au gouvernement provincial du Bihar Un autre ministre du congrès au gouvernement provincial du Bihar L’Angleterre Marquis Linlithgow, Vice-Roi des Indes, de 1936 à 1943 Sir Archibald Wavell, Vice-Roi des Indes, de 1943 à mars 1947 Lord Mountbatten, Earl of Burma, dernier Vice-Roi des Indes, de mars à août 1947 L’aide de camp de Lord Mountbatten Les routes et les rues Haridasi, solitaire errante bengalie La Frontière nord-ouest Goulam, un Pathan Tughlak, un Pathan Masud Khan, l’instituteur pathan New Delhi Ganga Singh, chauffeur sikh Inder, rickshaw-wallah, intouchable Lala, rickshaw-wallah, bengali Ahmad, rickshaw-wallah Rahman,
    [Show full text]
  • Monograph on Kasturba
    ININ SEARCH SEARCH OF OF KASTURBA KASTURBA AN AUTO/BIOGRAPHICAL READING OF OF THE MAHATMA AND HIS WIFE A MONOGRAPH __________________________________________________ LAVANYA VARADRAJAN (RESEARCH ASSOCIATE) UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PROF. MALA PANDURANG (IN-CHARGE, GANDHIAN STUDIES CENTRE) UGC RECOGNISED GANDHIAN STUDIES CENTRE SEVA MANDAL EDUCATION SOCIETY’S DR. BHANUBHEN MAHENDRA NANAVATI COLLEGE OF HOME SCIENCE MATUNGA, MUMBAI 2017 Cover Designed By Mr Shravan Kamble, Faculty, Dept. Of Applied Arts, SCNI Polytechnic Printed By Mahavir Printers, Mumbai 400075 Published By Seva Mandal Education Society’s DR. BHANUBHEN MAHENDRA NANAVATI COLLEGE OF HOME SCIENCE (NAAC Reaccredited Grade “A” CGPA 3.64/4) UGC STATUS: COLLEGE WITH POTENTIAL FOR EXCELLENCE (CPE) MAHARSHI DHONDO KESHAV KARVE BEST COLLEGE AWARDEE SMT PARAMESHWARI GORANDHAS GARODIA EDUCATION COMPLEX, 338, R.A. KIDWAI ROAD. MATUNGA, MUMBAI 2017 ISBN 978-93-5258-741-2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude to Dr Shilpa P Charankar, Principal & UGC recognised Gandhian Studies Centre, Dr. BMN College of Home Science, Matunga, for giving me the opportunity to pursue this study on Kasturba Gandhi. My deepest thanks to Prof. Mala Pandurang for her patient and painstaking guidance through the course of the research and writing of this project. A heartfelt hat-tip to Rajeshwar Thakore, whose passion for learning, and meticulous proof- reading skills, especially during the early drafts, helped this study immensely. This project would not have been possible without the literary resources available at the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya Library and Mrs Vidya Subramanian, Librarian Dr. BMN College of Home Science. To both, my sincere thanks. CONTENTS Chapter I 1 Introduction: An Overview of the Framework of 1 the Study Chapter II 2 A Woman Imagined: Examining Kasturba’s 16 Presence/Absence in the Auto/Biographical Texts Chapter III 3 Public vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Gandhi, Mandela, and the African Modern
    Gandhi, Mandela, and the African Modern Jonathan Hyslop APRIL 2008, PAPER NUMBER 33 © 2008 Unpublished by Jonathan Hyslop The Occasional Papers of the School of Social Science are versions of talks given at the School’s weekly Thursday Seminar. At these seminars, Members present work-in-progress and then take questions. There is often lively conversation and debate, some of which will be included with the papers. We have chosen papers we thought would be of interest to a broad audience. Our aim is to capture some part of the cross-disciplinary conversations that are the mark of the School’s programs. While Members are drawn from specific disciplines of the social sciences— anthropology, economics, sociology and political science—as well as history, philosophy, literature and law, the School encourages new approaches that arise from exposure to different forms of interpretation. The papers in this series differ widely in their topics, methods, and disciplines. Yet they concur in a broadly humanistic attempt to understand how, and under what conditions, the concepts that order experience in different cultures and societies are produced, and how they change. Jonathan Hyslop is Professor of Sociology and History at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is also Deputy Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. He has been a member of the IAS for 2007-2008. Jonathan Hyslop has published widely on southern African social history. He is currently working on a book about military cultures in 20th century South Africa. Forthcoming in Achille Mbembe and Sarah Nuttall, eds. Johannesburg: The Elusive Metropolis (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • The African Element in Gandhi
    The African Element in Gandhi By: Anil Nauriya First Edition: 2006 Electronic Version © Anil Nauriya First Edition (Hard Copy Version) Published by: National Gandhi Museum Rajghat, New Delhi-110002 Phones: 23311793, 23310168, 23328310 E-mail: [email protected] Web-site: www.gandhimuseum.org In association with: Gyan Publishing House New Delhi-110002 Phones: 23261060,23282060 Email: [email protected] Web-site: http://www.gyanbooks.com The African Element in Gandhi This book is a richly detailed account of the people and events surrounding Gandhi’s experience in Africa and its aftermath. It provides an original narrative of how Gandhi’s stance in relation to emancipatory struggles evolved over time, focusing especially on the period since the high noon of his South Africa days. The relationship between Gandhi, Africa and its leaders was mutually productive and symbiotic; a connection which has often been underanalysed. Through extensive examples and a close reading of documents from the era, the author makes clear the significance of passive or civil resistance as a strategy and traces some of its contours over Gandhi’s lifetime. The resulting book opens up fertile new areas of research and presents us with a holistic picture of the salience of Gandhi for Africans and Africa for Gandhi. ANIL NAURIYA is a New Delhi-based lawyer and writes on contemporary history and politics. www.mkgandhi.org Page 2 The African Element in Gandhi CONTENTS Foreword Preface Author’s Note I. An Overview II. The Context III. The Widening Horizon IV. Passive Resistance V. Against Segregation VI. Cross-Fertilisation of Ideas in South Africa VII.
    [Show full text]