Demythicizing “Mahatma” Gandhi: Searching for Plural Historiography of Indian Nationalism

Panel Convenor(s)

• TU

  Tomoaki Ueda

  Toyo University, Japan

Panel Chair(s)

• TY

  Tatsuya Yamamoto

  Shizuoka University, Japan

Presenter(s)

• TU

  Tomoaki Ueda

  Toyo University, Japan
• EH

  Eijiro Hazama

  The University of Shiga Prefecture, Japan
• KF

  Kenta Funahashi

  Ryukoku University, Japan
• SI

  Shinya Ishizaka

  Ehime University, Japan

        The purpose of this panel is to examine Indian nationalist movement from non “Gandhi-centric” and plural perspectives by looking into how Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s political thought and practices were followed and criticized by his contemporary leaders.
        “Mahatma”(great soul) Gandhi was the most influential leader of Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. He attained unprecedentedly broad supports among common people and Muslims as well as the Indian National Congress leaders by unusual means of nonviolent disobedience based on his extremely unique thought called satyagraha. The great saint of independent India has been too sacred to severely criticize even from scholarly points of view. But now is the time to revise Indian historiography by comparing him and his contemporaries as well as his followers. In other words, demythicizing “Mahatma” Gandhi is necessary for advanced studies in Indian nationalism, which has been often researched from Gandhi-centric visions.
        The organization of this panel is as follows; Eijiro HAZAMA deconstructs “nationalist Gandhi” by demonstrating its “sub-national” sources of Gujarati intellectuals. Tomoaki UEDA examines Motilal Nehru’s attitudes on Gandhi around 1920, when he swung between constitutional moderation and Gandhian radicalism. Kenta FUNAHASHI analyzes the ideology and movements of B. R. Ambedkar compared with those of Gandhi to consider their differences and similarities. Shinya ISHIZAKA explores the reasons why Gandhian movement has been weaker but still tenacious in India.

Presentations:

• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Motilal Nehru close to/away from Gandhi: Between Constitutional Agitator and Gandhian Non-Cooperator
  

  Presenter: Tomoaki Ueda – Toyo University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Demythicizing "Nationalist Gandhi”: The Unknown Gujarati Roots of Gandhi's Political Thought
  

  Presenter: Eijiro Hazama – The University of Shiga Prefecture
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  “Mahatma” and/versus “Babasaheb”: The Ideology and Movements of B. R. Ambedkar
  

  Presenter: Kenta Funahashi – Ryukoku University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Transformation of the Gandhian Movement in Contemporary India
  

  Presenter: Shinya Ishizaka – Ehime University