This volume brings together essays that discuss and contextualise Gandhi’s ideas on pluralism, religious identity, non-violence, satyagraha, and modernity. It interrogates the epistemic foundations of Gandhian thinking and weltanschauung, identifies diverse strands within his arguments, and gives it new meaning in contemporary society.
This book focuses on Gandhi’s engagements with religious, political, and social conflicts; his reflections on faith and modernity; and his argumentative dialogues with Mohammad Ali Jinnah and B. R. Ambedkar. It provides critical insights into Gandhi’s philosophy and suggests ways of engaging with his ethical and moral ideas in contemporary intellectual and political discourse. Comparing and contrasting Gandhian thought and strategies with contemporary issues and conceptions of religious freedom, conflict resolution, and liberalism, the volume reformulates and reconstitutes his intellectual and political legacy.
This book points to new and possible future directions of research on Gandhian concepts and will be useful for scholars in the fields of political science, Gandhian studies, sociology, and philosophy.
List of Contributors. Preface. Introduction S K Srivastava 1. Spirituality and Plurality of Religions: A Gandhian Perspective Mrinal Miri 2. Mahatma Gandhi and Religious Freedom Arvind Sharma 3. Religious Conflicts: A Critique of Gandhian Methods Ashok Vohra 4. Interfacing Ambedkar and Gandhi Valerian Rodrigues 5. Gandhi’s Imagination of Muslims Hilal Ahmed 6. Gandhi, Kant and Superstition Apaar Kumar 7. The Technology Driven Modern World and Gandhi Anoop George 8. Negotiating Differences in a Gandhian Way: Ahimsa, Love, Compassion and the Gift of Fearlessness Bindu Puri. Index.
Biography
S K Srivastava is a consultant surgeon. Apart from publishing papers in professional medical journals, he has edited Modern Concepts of Surgery (1992) and is the author of Breast Care and Cancer (1999). He has been a freelance commentator on social, political, and health-related issues for national dailies. His interests include sociology and Gandhian studies. He blogs on a variety of issues. He organizes the VIRAJ Lecture Series at India Habitat Centre New Delhi.
Ashok Vohra is former Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Delhi University. He is also the former director of Gandhi Bhavan and Dean of the Arts Faculty, University of Delhi. He has published a number of books and research papers on wide-ranging philosophical themes including Gandhian thought. He has authored Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mind and translated Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, Tractatus Logico Philosophicus, On Certainty, and Culture and Value into Hindi.
