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| Gandhi and His Non-Violence: A Global History Course — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Gandhi and his Non-Violence |
| Article Credit | Gandhi and his Critics, Year: 1994, (Pubd in: Academia.edu) |
| Author | Dwaipayan Sen (University of Chicago, Alumnus) |
| Subject | A college course syllabus on the global history of Gandhi's non-violence, its sources, historical contexts, critiques, and legacies in India and worldwide. |
| Category | Syllabus |
| Institution | Amherst College |
| Country of Publication | Not clearly identified in the document. |
| Main Topics | Gandhi's non-violence, Anti-colonial struggle in India, Civil disobedience and resistance movements, Global influence of Gandhian politics, Critiques of Gandhi on race, caste, gender, class, Gandhi's legacy in India and the world |
| Number of Pages | 7 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 112.9 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
This document is a draft syllabus for an undergraduate course titled 'Gandhi and his Non-Violence' (Hist/Aslc 272) taught by Dwaipayan Sen at Amherst College. The course charts a global history of Gandhi's thought on non-violence and its expression in civil disobedience and resistance movements both in India and the world. It is organized in three modules: the first situates Gandhi through the diverse sources of his historical and ideological formation; the second examines the historical contexts and practices through which non-violence acquired meaning for him and considers important critiques; the third explores the various afterlives of Gandhian politics in movements throughout the world. The syllabus includes readings from Gandhi's autobiography, Hind Swaraj, and Satyagraha in South Africa, as well as scholarly works by Bhikhu Parekh, Judith Brown, David Hardiman, and others. It also incorporates primary sources and audio-visual materials. The course aims to unsettle conventional accounts of Gandhi's significance by attending to deep contradictions concerning race, caste, gender, and class in his thought and action. It grapples with the problem of how to make sense of his troubled legacy. The syllabus details course requirements, policies, and a schedule of readings.
Core Themes
- Non-violence as political technique
- Historical formation of Gandhi's thought
- Critiques of Gandhi
- Global legacies of Gandhian politics
- Contradictions in Gandhi's ideology
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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