David Hardiman
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190920678
- eISBN:
- 9780190943233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190920678.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
This chapter begins with a discussion of how the book combines a longstanding interest of the author, namely the Indian nationalist movement and Gandhi’s role in it, with a more recent engagement ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of how the book combines a longstanding interest of the author, namely the Indian nationalist movement and Gandhi’s role in it, with a more recent engagement with the theory and practice of nonviolent resistance. The ways in which Indian nationalism has been understood by historians over the past fifty years is considered critically, and the ways that this can be related to theories of strategic nonviolent resistance – particularly those of Gene Sharp –is reviewed. While the importance of this theory is acknowledged, its shortcomings are also examined, for example its neglect of Gandhi’s constructive program. The main themes of the following chapters are summarized.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of how the book combines a longstanding interest of the author, namely the Indian nationalist movement and Gandhi’s role in it, with a more recent engagement with the theory and practice of nonviolent resistance. The ways in which Indian nationalism has been understood by historians over the past fifty years is considered critically, and the ways that this can be related to theories of strategic nonviolent resistance – particularly those of Gene Sharp –is reviewed. While the importance of this theory is acknowledged, its shortcomings are also examined, for example its neglect of Gandhi’s constructive program. The main themes of the following chapters are summarized.
