Ramin Jahanbegloo

This is a brief but deep book by Ramin Jahanbegloo on the political and intellectual theories of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and the continuing relevance of Gandhi’s political thought. Prior knowledge of the life, activism, and philosophy of Gandhi is useful but not necessary towards the reading of this book.

In The Gandhian Moment, Jahanbegloo examined the origins of Gandhi's intellectual thought and explicated Gandhi's political system in depth. He also examined the reception of Gandhi's political theory in India and beyond India. Finally, Jahanbegloo examined the relevance of Gandhi's politics today, with the nonviolent protest movements of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

And what were Gandhi's political theories? As Jahanbegloo examined, Gandhi’s beliefs and ideas were rooted in love, truth, justice, and respect for others. Gandhi believed that nonviolent politics were the most compatible with democracy and that acts of nonviolent civil resistance were the best acts that an activist should take (in a democracy). Gandhi also believed that the relationship between the individual and the state must be reoriented from the state’s obsession with controlling the people to the people’s control of the state: democracy. And finally, he believed that individuals should reorient themselves to the state with nonviolence in their hearts in order to achieve the greatest good for all: social harmony.

What is a Gandhian Moment? For Jahanbegloo, the Gandhian Moment (occurs) when the power of nonviolent resistance transforms the hearts and minds of protestors who seek to open up the public sphere from violence (p. 3). It is the irreversible transformation from violent acts of politics and protest to nonviolence, which was most demonstrable in the life of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Gandhian Moments can be big and small. And the three most publicly visible (big) Gandhian Moments were the Indian independence movement, US Civil Rights Movement, and the end of apartheid, which Jahanbegloo examined.

The book is short and there are somethings that I would’ve like to have read more of. I would have liked some more analysis of any Buddhist influences on Gandhi’s intellectual and political thought. I would’ve also enjoyed an analysis of the Tiananmen Square protests and the future potential of non-violent protest in Mainland China. However, the author, Jahanbegloo, has told me that he may write a book on China in the future which will explore many of these aspects of global nonviolence.… (plus d'informations)

This is a short but interesting and wide-ranging interview-book on the life, work, and the ideas of Bhikhu Parekh, the political theorist and the author of the "Parekh Report" on multiculturalism in the UK. Among the topics and issues discussed herein include: the life of Mr. Parekh, multiculturalism and pluralism in 21st century Britain, the contemporary intellectual climate in India, today's relevance of Gandhi, political philosophy, Indian identity in Britain, and the limits of classical liberal thought. Part journalism and part scholarly work, Mr. Parekh's answers to the questions of modernity crises are lucid and are unique.… (plus d'informations)