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| Gandhi’s Nonviolence as a Cosmopolitan Political Thought — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Gandhi’s Nonviolence as a Cosmopolitan Political Thought |
| Article Credit | Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), ISSN: ISSN-2349-5162, Vol.: 11, Issue: 3, Year: 2024, (Pubd in: Jetir.org) |
| Author | MANAS KANDI (Assistant Professor, Department of Liberal Arts & Humanities, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut) |
| Subject | An analysis of Gandhi’s nonviolence as a cosmopolitan political ethic rooted in Ahimsa, Satyagraha, and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The article contrasts Gandhian cosmopolitanism with nationalism, globalization, and state sovereignty. |
| Category | Journal article |
| Institution | Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) |
| Main Topics | Gandhi’s nonviolence, cosmopolitan political thought, Ahimsa, Satyagraha, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, nationalism and vernacular cosmopolitanism, justice and human rights, peace and state sovereignty |
| Number of Pages | 8 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 952.0 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
Gandhi’s Nonviolence as a Cosmopolitan Political Thought
This article examines Gandhi’s nonviolence as a form of cosmopolitan political thought. It argues that Gandhi did not build a formal cosmopolitan theory, but that his practice of Ahimsa, emphasis on human interdependence, and idea of shared humanity place him within a rooted cosmopolitan tradition. The discussion links nonviolence to advaita, universal reciprocity, and the ethical relation between self and other, while also treating Gandhi’s ashram as a space where cosmopolitan community was experimentally lived. A major focus is the contrast between Gandhian cosmopolitanism and the coercive modern state: the article suggests that nonviolence can guide both individual action through Satyagraha and political life through shared sovereignty and ethics of togetherness. It further develops Gandhi’s critique of Western-style cosmopolitanism, preferring the Indian ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and rejecting nationalism when it becomes exclusionary or violent. The article also connects these themes to justice, human rights, multiculturalism, pacifism, and world peace, presenting Gandhi’s thought as a challenge to violence, exploitation, and rigid state power.
Core Themes
- Ahimsa as a political and ethical principle
- interdependence of human and biotic life
- critique of violent state sovereignty
- world peace and justice
- Gandhian nationalism as non-statist and inclusive
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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