Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action [Paperback]

Dennis Dalton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231081197 | ISBN-13: 978-0231081191 | Publication Date: May 15, 1995 0

Mahatma Gandhi's ideas and achievements rank preeminent among leaders of the twentieth century. Dennis Dalton's study of Gandhi's life and thought identifies the crucial link between his political philosophy and his activism and sets forth new ideas about Gandhi's inclusive style of politics. Dalton begins by tracing Gandhi's formative experiences in South Africa between 1893 and 1914 where his method of nonviolent resistance, or satyagraha, was born and melded with his concept of swaraj - personal and political liberation. After examining Gandhi's emergence as a national leader in India between 1919 and 1922, Dalton provides an indepth analysis of two of his signal triumphs: the 1930 civil disobedience campaign against the British and the 1947 Calcutta fast for Hindu-Muslim unity. Dalton brings fresh insight to these important years by culling information from unpublished sources and interviews with numerous participants, including those who joined Gandhi's Salt March to the sea. Dalton places Gandhi's ideas within the historical context of his interaction with the British government and with the religious communities of India. He pays particular attention to the role of religious faith in Gandhi's social reform, how his views on the caste system affected his political activism, and his debates with the Marxist theoretician M. N. Roy and the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Dalton concludes with a stirring comparison of Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and assesses the lasting importance of Gandhi's ideas. "His claim to uniqueness rests both on the originality of his thought and even more on his uncanny ability to put his theory into practice, " writes Dalton. "Because key ideas like freedom and power so concerned him, the creative ways that he translated them into action remain exciting today, almost fifty years after his death."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a study of interest primarily to academics, Dalton, a professor of political science at Manhattan's Barnard College, describes how Gandhi's work in South Africa and India helped him develop the subtle relationship between swaraj (freedom as self-rule or self-control) and satyagraha (nonviolent force born of truth and love). The author elucidates the criticisms of Gandhi by such contemporaries as Rabindranath Tagore and M. N. Roy, pointing out that neither man found a way to connect freedom and power as Gandhi did in his 24-day protest march in 1930 against the British tax on salt in India, and in his 1947 fast in response to communal violence in Calcutta. Dalton offers an intriguing chapter comparing Gandhi, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and suggests that while King embodied Gandhi's tactics and Malcolm X traveled a similar journey of personal emancipation, neither managed to combine both swaraj and satyagraha . Dalton concludes by reflecting how Gandhi's example proves that political life can include ideals and truth.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

What a refreshing study of Gandhi's political thought! Void of the usual psychological mumbo jumbo, this book presents an intellectually satisfying analysis of the Gandhian concepts of satyagraha and swaraj , of their interconnection, and of their application in his quest for Indian independence. Tracing the origins of Gandhi's ideals in ancient Vedic texts and in the body of Western philosophy, Dalton (political science, Barnard) demonstrates Gandhi's first tentative use of satyagraha , the power of truth and love, in nonviolent protests in South Africa and then with increasing confidence in India in the 1930s. Here Gandhi linked satyagraha with swaraj , self-rule or self-restraint, to push forward his case against British Imperial rule. Dalton's focus on Gandhi's salt march of 1930 and his fast of 1946 in Calcutta illustrate with great clarity these principles. Although admiring Gandhi, Dalton eschews his canonization for a clear, thoughtful study, the best in recent years.
- John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231081197
• ISBN-13: 978-0231081191
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Gandhi, Mahatma

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, thoughtful analysis of Gandhi's ideas., November 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action (Paperback)

What a brilliant analysis of Gandhi's philosophy! This is an insightful collection of essays that illuminates the essential relationship between Gandhi's theory of non-violence and his practice of the same. Dennis Dalton uses two powerful examples: the Salt March of 1930 and the fast to end Partition-related violence in 1947. There is a fascinating conclusion between Gandhi's ideas and those of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, illustrating the relevance of Gandhi's thought to present day issues.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The POWER of the Truth Force, July 6, 1999

By 

Christopher J. Corey (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action (Paperback)

I don't care to duplicate the academic praise seen in the above reviews. But I can tell you simply that Dennis Dalton was my professor in a class on Non-Violence at Columbia Univ. and it changed my life. At a period of time when I was an atheist, believing that all religion was just a set of rules to control people, D. Dalton demonstrated through the example of Ghandi that the Love and Truth force can be a powerful vehicle for change. This completely changed my view point from victim to activist. One could actually have spirituality from within, instead of imposed upon him or her from without. A tool, not a punishment. The 'truth' one has seems to be irrelevant; it is one's passion and belief and willingness to stand behind that Truth that triumphs. If it is True in the archetypal sense, others will join (not follow) you. And by direct action at the heart level, you can touch and change nations. This is not about passive resistance; this is about direct non-violent confrontation. It is about appealing to the best, the highest nature, of that which you confront. He showed me that one can change the world with one's heart; that truth can win. And now I just wait for Dennis to write the definative book on Emma Goldman... Truly a great teacher and initiator of the inner spark of one's own truth force. And with Ghandi as his guiding archetype, this book should be on the reading list of every activist.