Key Terms - Gandhi

The 1906 Zulu Uprising

A Zulu uprising against British rule in South Africa. Gandhi initially joined the British military as a medic, but the violence he saw inflicted on the Zulu people appalled him, and he begin to see imperial rule differently.

*Hind Swaraj*

*Hind Swaraj*, meaning Indian self-rule, was a book published by Gandhi in 1909, reflecting a turn towards non-violent anti-colonialism.

It also considers British rule to be a symptom of modern secular civilisation, founded on brute force and exploitation, whereas Indian civilisation is superior because it’s based on *love-force* (spiritual values).

National independence

For Gandhi, this merely meant freedom from foreign, in this case British, rule.

Political freedom

This is Gandhi’s belief in freedom from oppression, but is twinned with his belief in duty based on his positive view of human nature.

*Sarvodaya*

A form of economic freedom: the welfare of all. Gandhi endorses freedom from need, and his economics thus align with the poor.

Spiritual freedom

For Gandhi, spiritual freedom is self-rule. It’s characterised by self-restraint and internal discipline.

*Swadeshi*

A community-based democratically-organised form of economics, concerning prioritising the needs of neighbours.

*Charka*

An Indian spinning wheel, used by Gandhi to represent Indian home-spun cloth, a symbol of opposition to British imports.

The 1919 Amritsar Massacre

This saw the British Army fire upon peaceful Indian protestors, killing hundreds. However, it led Gandhi to become increasingly aware of the relationship between British colonisers and Indian subjects.

Gandhi came to develop a movement less based on Indian superiority.

*Satyagraha*

Non-violent ways of being in the world, that bring about a transformation from Western civilisation into ‘alternative modernity’.

*Satyagraha* is not outright pacifism, as violence is permitted in self-defence, but it is still a form of non-violent active resistance combined with personal spiritual transformation.

*Himsa*

The power of violence, domination and exploitation. Power over others.

*Ahimsa*

The power of non-violence, non-domination, and non-exploitation. Power with others, that unites all life through interdependence and mutual aid.

*Ahimsa* is manifest through *Satyagraha*, as well as through *Swadeshi* and *Sarvodaya* in the the service of *Swaraj*.

Truth

Truth is spiritual experience. To know God is to encounter the truth about existence. God is non-material, and thus to experience truth is also non-material, it is spiritual.

Relative truths

As no one person, community or religion can experience the whole truth, each experiences a relative truth. The number of relative truths that exist is part of the reason social conflict exists.

As truth is relative, there is reason to avoid violently pushing any relative truth upon others.

The limits of non-violence

* Gandhi defended violent resistance in self-defence, such as that used by the Palestinians against Israeli settler-colonialism. If one is in a position of weakness, the use of violence is sometimes justifiable.