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| Gandhi, Nonviolence, and a Different Freedom in Modern India — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Transcending Identity: Gandhi, Nonviolence, and the Pursuit of a “Different” Freedom in Modern India |
| Article Credit | The American Historical Review, ISSN: 0002-8762 / 1937-5239, Vol.: 115, Issue: 2, Year: 2010, (Pubd in: Academia.edu) |
| Author | Mithi Mukherjee (University of Colorado, Boulder, Faculty Member) |
| Subject | This article examines the Gandhian discourse of freedom, arguing that it was grounded in Indic renunciative traditions (moksha) rather than Western political identity, and that this difference shaped the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonialism. |
| Category | History |
| Country of Publication | United States |
| Main Topics | Gandhian nonviolence, Discourse of freedom, Renunciative freedom (moksha), Western political freedom, Indian historiography, Subaltern studies, Colonialism and resistance, Enunciative persona of the samnyasin |
| Number of Pages | 21 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 126.9 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
This article by Mithi Mukherjee argues that the Gandhian discourse of freedom, which underpinned the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonialism, was fundamentally different from the Western discourse of political freedom. Mukherjee contends that while Western freedom was based on individual rights, national identity, and the nation-state, Gandhi's conception was rooted in Indic traditions of renunciative freedom (moksha) and ascetic practices. The article critiques major historiographical schools—Marxist, Cambridge, nationalist, and subaltern—for failing to recognize this difference, often reducing Gandhi's ethics to political tactics or ignoring the indigenous intellectual roots. Mukherjee introduces the concept of the 'enunciative persona' of the samnyasin (renouncer) to explain how Gandhi transformed the traditional renunciative ideal into a political force, combining ethical service to society with resistance to the state. The article traces the evolution of this discourse from Rammohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Swami Vivekananda, and Rabindranath Tagore, who bridged renunciative and political freedom through ethical engagement, but stopped short of political confrontation. Gandhi's departure from the juridical discourse of imperial justice, catalyzed by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, led to a new politics of nonviolence that subordinated national independence to the pursuit of moksha. The article concludes that this competing discourse of freedom challenged not only British colonialism but also the universal claims of Western political thought.
Core Themes
- Difference between Indic and Western discourses of freedom
- Renunciative freedom and its transformation into political resistance
- Critique of modern Indian historiography
- Role of the samnyasin as enunciative persona
- Nonviolence as grounded in renunciative ethics
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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