A01=Nishikant Kolge
Author_Nishikant Kolge
Category=DNBH
Category=JBFA
Category=JBSA
Category=JPHL
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Product details
- ISBN 9780199493722
- Weight: 298g
- Dimensions: 154 x 221mm
- Publication Date: 07 Mar 2019
- Publisher: OUP India
- Publication City/Country: IN
- Product Form: Paperback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
In 1909, while still in South Africa, Gandhi publicly decried the caste system for its inequalities. Shortly after his return to India though, he spoke of the generally beneficial aspects of caste. Gandhi's writings on caste reflect contradictory views and his critics accuse him of neglecting the unequal socio-economic structure that relegated Dalits to the bottom of the caste hierarchy. So, did Gandhi endorse the fourfold division of the Indian society or was he truly against caste? In this book, Nishikant Kolge investigates the entire range of what Gandhi said or wrote about caste divisions over a period of more than three decades: from his return to India in 1915 to his death in 1948. Interestingly, Kolge also maps Gandhi's own statements that undermined his stance against the caste system. These writings uncover the 'strategist Gandhi' who understood that social transformation had to be a slow process for the conservative but powerful section of Hindus who were not yet ready for radical reforms. Seven decades after it attained freedom from colonial powers, caste continues to influence the socio-political dynamics of India, and Gandhi against caste --the battle is not over yet.
Nishikant Kolge teaches at the Department of History, Tripura University, India. He holds a PhD degree in history from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. His articles have appeared in leading journals such as Gandhi Marg and Economic and Political Weekly.
