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| The defining features of Gandhian nonviolence |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | The defining features of Gandhian nonviolence |
| Article Credit | Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja), ISSN: 1665-2673, Vol.: 12, Issue: 60, Year: 2012, (Pubd in: Academia.edu) |
| Author | mp mathai (Peace Research Centre, Gujarat Vidyapith University, Ahmedabad Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi) |
| Subject | This article analyzes the defining features of Mahatma Gandhi's concept of nonviolence (ahimsa), emphasizing its positive nature as love, its basis in truth, and its role as a law of life and history, while contrasting it with strategic nonviolence. |
| Category | Academic Article |
| Institution | Gujarat Vidyapith University |
| Country of Publication | Mexico |
| Main Topics | Gandhi's concept of nonviolence, Truth and nonviolence correlation, Nonviolence as positive love, Nonviolence as soul force, Nonviolence as law of life and history, Principled vs strategic nonviolence, Satyagraha as nonviolent direct action, Personal and social transformation |
| Number of Pages | 9 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 108.6 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
This article by M. P. Mathai, affiliated with the Peace Research Centre at Gujarat Vidyapith University and the Gandhi Peace Foundation, systematically codifies the defining features of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolence (ahimsa). The author argues that Gandhi's nonviolence transcends conventional negative definitions of non-injury or non-killing, instead embodying a positive force of love and selfless service encompassing all creation. Central to Gandhi's philosophy is the inseparable link between truth and nonviolence, where nonviolence is the only justifiable means to realize and vindicate truth. Mathai elaborates on Gandhi's characterization of nonviolence as 'soul force,' a power mightier than any weapon, and as the cohesive law of life that binds humanity, operating through history as progressive nonviolence. The article contrasts Gandhi's principled nonviolence with strategic approaches, citing Gene Sharp and Nelson Mandela, and emphasizes Gandhi's insistence on nonviolence as an article of faith practiced in thought, word, and deed. It concludes that personal transformation through nonviolence is essential for social transformation and the creation of a nonviolent future, highlighting Gandhi's demonstration of its efficacy in calming communal riots in Bengal and Delhi after India's partition.
Core Themes
- Nonviolence as positive love
- Truth and nonviolence
- Nonviolence as soul force
- Nonviolence as law of life
- Principled vs strategic nonviolence
Keywords
About Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi lived from 1869 to 1948. Born in India, he trained as a lawyer and became a political thinker. Colonial rule repelled him. He opposed it fiercely and eventually led India’s independence movement.
Gandhi pioneered Satyagraha, the power of truth and nonviolent resistance. He put these ideals into practice during political and social upheavals. Over twenty years in South Africa shaped his thinking. That’s where he developed his tactics of nonviolent defiance. He returned to India in 1915 and launched major movements against British rule. Non-Cooperation Movement. Salt March. Quit India Movement. Each one challenged colonial domination.
In 1883 he married Kasturba Gandhi. Marriage and family life remained central to who he was. He spoke powerfully about his beliefs. His writing included Hind Swaraj, Satyagraha in South Africa, and The Story of My Experiments with Truth, his autobiography.
His vision stretched beyond political independence. Religious harmony mattered to him. Social equality. Self-reliance. Women’s rights. Ending untouchability. All of these were part of what he fought for.
Nonviolence and Satyagraha shaped movements worldwide. Civil rights activists drew from his example. Freedom struggles across the globe felt his influence. His approach changed how people thought about resistance and change.
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